Order Through Chaos III: The Unbroken Harmony
by Medigo
Summary: The war is over, the Numbers have won. Mankind has accepted their power and made the world a better place to live in. Yet this coexistence is founded on one great lie. Not all is as it seems to be, and only one who has been through the eyes of Chaos and Order can see the truth for what it is..
1. Prologue

**Prologue: On the Origin of Numbers**

What are the Numbers?

That was the question on many a mind at the dawn of the 21st century. On the January of 2012, mankind made a scientific breakthrough like none other. A project in the area of quantum particle physics and spatial dynamics led to the discovery of an unknown and previously unseen energy. The source rested inside their own bodies, another entity in another phase of existence. There was no machine to manipulate them, no method to dissect them; they could simply only be 'known'. But knowing was enough, once they were detected in one man, they could be traced in many more. They knew what to look for now. After a certain point there was no need to continue, it had become an indisputable fact that every child on earth was born with this energy inside them. They were not parasites but symbiotes, living with them since they could remember and dying with them. And now their inner powers could be awakened.. and harnessed.

The Numbers they were called. The reason for this was simple, a 100 different types has been determined and no more. The amount was too specific to overlook. There were slight variations to the energy types, like mutations in a DNA's code. Yet each Number had a specific function, a power connected to its hosts needs and wants. The injured and crippled could rebuild their body with one Number, the insane could heal their mind with another. The applications were endless, yet always resigned to the original 100 types.

With their presence revealed and their designation given, the Numbers could be presented to their host. One man unearthed a way to visualize the Number inside him, to give shape and color to what he thought his Number looked like. All he needed was to look deep into his mind. What he saw there he drew that on a crude painting, and that act alone strengthened his bond with the entity. This process was passed on to the world, evolving into a ritual of sorts. Any human, between the age of 15 and 30, could do the same. Many chose not to, but many more did. It could be painted on a large canvas, printed on a small card, written over several pages even.. as long as it was made to describe how they saw their Number. The only limit seemed to be the third dimension, any representation made had to stay within two dimensions. Anything further resulted in no change to the relationship between the two.

Amusingly enough, the Numbers could even be turned to playing cards. Most who discovered the Numbers were at the time in their life where a certain game was the most popular past-time. Dueling it was called. A surprising amount of Numbers were turned to dueling cards. It had gotten to the point where even the creators of the game gave in and allowed Numbers to be used as official cards. They even made legal imitations for those who wanted them. Just one rule was handed down to duelists and to nonduelists.

Never use your Number as a weapon.

But none desires to. Such an unusual yet replicate-able process became such advantage of all, that all conflicts simply ceased to exist. There was no way to misuse or monopolize them, you could not steal them either. Still, solidified Numbers carried an immense amount of energy with them, more than should theoretically have been possible. Nobody could figure out why, but they could use it. Entire plants were built, dedicated to draining the power from donated Numbers. As their supplies were near infinite, they soon supplanted any other powersource in the world. Along with their ability to weed out disease and catalyze food growth, it seemed like they turned earth into a paradise.

But what were the Numbers? And where did they come from? The scientific world was still utterly baffled by these creatures that could defy the laws of physics. Their devices only got them as far as to conclude that the Numbers existed before mankind and merged with them at some point. Whether they originated from our universe or not was unknown, but they were a part of this universe right now. If they were alive, or even conscious, they could not say. What they really looked like was also impossible to answer. The Numbers existed either as raw power or as flat symbolized images. Neither solution satisfied them. Fifteen years later, studies were still going. Though their word was just a small part. Everyone had their own explanation. Few even said that the Numbers were nothing more than alien invaders who took over their bodies and brainwashed them. Yet such nonsense was quickly silenced.

The Soul.  
Part of the world believed it to be the soul, the immortal self and the core of our emotions. They cried out that the Numbers were what made them different from the primal beasts around them. This was somewhat of a theory on the evolutionary side, but the religious side took it to the other extreme. They claimed that their god had granted them these Numbers to survive and thrive. God had given them wisdom, power and empathy. Each religion still worshipped their own version of the lord of course, but they were at peace with that and with others. And while there might have been millions who tried to spin their own mythology around the concept of the Numbers, one story exceeded in esteem. It was told to children as a bedtime story.. a story about the one who unleashed the Numbers on the world.

_Once up a time, a long time ago, there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus. They were good gods. They had good hearts. They were good friends._

_One day, Prometheus got in trouble with Zeus. Angry over something or other, Zeus had declared that man did not deserve fire. Because he had a kind heart, and he knew how much man needed fire for food and warmth, Prometheus gave man the secret of fire even though Zeus had told all the gods not to do that. Zeus was furious that his order had been ignored. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many years._

_But that was not enough punishment, not for Zeus. Once Prometheus was chained to a rock, Zeus went after Prometheus' brother, the gentle, kind-hearted Epimetheus. Zeus did not chain Epimetheus to a rock. Zeus had a more sneaky punishment in mind._

_First, Zeus ordered the gods' handyman, the maker of things - Hephaestus - to make Zeus a daughter. Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, a beautiful woman. He brought her to life, and then brought her to Zeus. Zeus named his lovely new daughter Pandora._

_Zeus knew that Epimetheus was lonely. Zeus told Epimetheus that his brother had to be punished and that's why he was chained to a rock. But Zeus felt sorry that this punishment left Epimetheus without the company of his brother. That's why Zeus had decided to give Pandora in marriage to Epimetheus._

_Epimetheus was kind-hearted and gentle and thoughtful, but he was no fool. He knew Zeus was up to something. But he loved Pandora at first sight._

_Zeus gave the newlyweds a gift. Some say it was a jar. Some say it was a box. Whatever it was, it was locked. It came with a note. The note said: "DO NOT OPEN." Attached to the note was a key. It was all very curious._

_You can guess what happened next. It was Pandora whose curiosity got the better of her. One day, she used the key to open the box. As she raised the lid, out flew all the bad things in the world today - envy, sickness, hate, disease. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late._

_Epimetheus heard her weeping. He came running. Pandora opened the lid to show him it was empty. Quickly, before she could slam the lid shut, one tiny bug flew out. He gave Pandora a big buggy smile in thanks for his freedom and flew away. That tiny bug was named Hope. And Hope made all the difference in the world._

Though she had not meant it, Pandora had given the humans hope. And she was thanked for it. The Numbers were hope. After millennia, they had returned to help mankind fight of the evils unleashed. The old world was no more.. this was _her_ world.


	2. (Cipher 167): Too Close to the Stars

**(Cipher 167) 1****: Too Close to the Stars**

Mankind did not agree much with the darkness, they did not enjoy each others presence. The mind preferred the light of day. But it was in the here and now, walking on an empty village road under the dark skies, that Azar Helder felt most at ease. His thoughts were clear here, and he was a man of many thoughts. Azar did not quite understand why his mind sought the night. Perhaps it was because he never felt at home in his own house and with his own family. Living there was akin to suffocating slowly. Yet there had to be further reasons, it could not be as simple as a lack of familiar bonds. To not fear the dark was after all an irrational trait. It was logical to dislike what was difficult or impossible to see, and much was hidden in the midnight hours. Azar saw it differently. Only at night could one see the truth behind the clouds and light. It was all around them now, the stars burned their brightest in the absence of major cities. This planet they were on was just a small piece of a larger universe that stretched out into the infinite black. Azar enjoyed knowing his place in existence.

But then space was about all that seemed to be left for the world. Not many secrets remained on the earth itself. Azar had envisioned many futures for himself when he was but a young boy, many heroic fates. Each and every dream had been taken from him, one by one. Wars were dealt with, crime all but disappeared, and disease became extinct. The world became a perfect place of tiny insignificant secrets, and Azar woke up into reality. By all rights he should have been satisfied with this paradise that humanity had ultimately created. Except it did not feel right, not with him. Until now neither he nor his thoughts could figure out... why.

He stopped at a bridge that led to a nearby town. It reminded him of days long gone. In his past he had tried his hand at 'heroics', he and many friends of his. He remembered the duels, the fight against that dark entity that tried to take from humans that which made them human: the Numbers. But it had not been him that stopped the threat. He had not been a major factor in the war.. against Chaos. And now he was alone.

_"Not alone!"_

He had found something in the darkness. Or something had found him. There was another shadow on the bridge. The shape moved towards him, moved fast. Only when he came within spitting distance was Azar able to distinguish any features. His clothes looked disheveled, the man himself looked worn down and filled with utter dread. "You.. you should not be here." The man had stopped as soon as he had seen Azar. Though he was not looking at him, but passed him. "None of us should be!"

"Wh.." Before Azar could answer the erratic man, another presence made itself known.

A ray of light broke through the skies! "No! He has found me!" The other cried out._ "Who?" _Azar looked up at the splitting darkness. It was as if the sun itself had come to claim this time and place, it was that bright. The source of the light however was just a man. The mans face was obscured by the light, but the rest of him could be made out. He was a tall man and wore a flowing white coat. One could almost mistake him for an angel. "You're one of the last." This new man spoke with a rough and authorative voice. "I am an agent, here to save you. You can stop running now." The man pointed a finger forwards. For a second Azar believed that the man was adressing him. "No! I do not want to be saved!" But the ragged mans outbursts revealed that this 'angel's interests lied elsewhere. Azars presence now seemed to go entirely unnoticed in fact. The angel walked towards the ragged man. "Ike Rhodes. I understand why you resist. You just can not see things right. But I know..and there is only one way to get through to you." The other pulled out a flat mechanical device; a Dueling Pad.

_"A duel, he is challenging him to a duel?" _Azar recognized the machine immediately of course. He was a duelist himself. Azar was close enough to touch it and still the duelist in white showed no reaction to his presence._ "Then this other man is.."_ Azar remembered what most duels had been in service of, for almost all of last year. It had always been about the Numbers. "You will not curse me! You will not break my mind with those.. things!" Ike had no choice but to accept this challenge, but he seemed to be an at least somewhat knowledgable duelist himself as he had his own D-pad. Their lifepoints were set, their cards inserted into the device. "Everyone else has fallen, not me! Nobody will ever catch me!"

Agents LP: 8000 Ike's LP: 8000

Six cards were added to Ike's hand. He had taken the first turn, because he wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible. Ike did not even waste time announcing his actions. He placed two trap cards down and summoned a green feathered armored bird; Gusto Falco(2/600/1400). He also had a card for his field zone; the Shrine of Mist Valley. "You fancy yourself a bird who can just keep on flying away, eh?" Ike's opponent humorously suggested as the activated field spell took effect and pasted a virtual landscape around the bridge. The two duelists stood on the top of a south-american pyramid, with banners waving in the wind. Azar could feel the stones beneath his feet. If a duel was this lifelike, the 'Numbers' had to be involved.

"You can fly as high as you like, kid. Sooner or later.. the angels will find you." The 'Agent' now drew his cards. He did not keep his cards hidden. "I normal summon Star Seraph Scout!" The agent called upon a inhuman angel(4/1200/1800) with neonlit body and metallic wings. "When the Scout appears, another Star Seraph can be special summoned from my hand.. In this case, that will be Star Seraph Sage!" The Scout was joined by a floating blue book(4/1600/1400) with a golden star symbol; another Seraph angel. "By discarding a spell, the Sage can special summon yet one more Star Seraph!" A third card was summoned from the agents hand; a neon orb(4/1800/400) covered with spikes and spear limbs. "Now this is Star Seraph Scepter! When it is summoned, I can add one Star Seraph from my deck to my hand." The agent explained as the Scepter took a Star Seraph Sword from his deck and placed it in his hand.

"Angels.." Ike stammered. "Yes. three of them. You can guess what I am going to do with them." The agent audibly chuckled. "Three level 4 monsters, for a rank 4 monster!" He placed the Scepter, Sage and Scout cards on top of each other. This way he could Xyz-summon a Xyz-monster from his extra deck. "Take a good look! I overlay my monsters and summon Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry!" Three neon lights converged forming one more humanoid angel, a golden plated archer(4/2500/2000). "The Number! Aaah!" Upon seeing it, Ike lost his wits and started screaming.

_"Not just any Number." _Azar was impressed in a different way._ "An Overhundred Number." _The Numbers, everyone had one. But only seven of them exceeded the 100th, only seven overhundred numbers existed. He knew these cards, didn't he?

"By the way, your bird? Gone." The agent said as a lance of electricity suddenly shot through Gusto Falco. "When Star Seraph Scepter is overlayed with two other monsters, I can destroy one card you control.. and draw one card." The agent took another card from his deck. "This.. is nothing!" However now Ike retaliated with his monsters effect. "A face-up Gusto Falco summons another Gusto monster from my deck, when it is destroyed! I summon Kamui, the Hope of Gusto!" The dying falcon made room for a new monster; a green haired wind witch(2/200/1000).

"Well isn't that cute. Too bad. I'm affraid I'll have to destroy her too." The agent made that clear when he activated a spell card. "Xyz Energy. I detach one material from my Number to destroy a monster." The StarSeraph released one of the overlay materials that floated around it, to shoot another thunderbolt through Kamui the hope witch. "But Shrine of Mist Valley allows me to summon a level 3 or lower wind monster from my hand or deck, when another wind monster is destroyed!" In turn Ike activated the effect of his field spell to summon a red/purple pterodactyl (4/1200/1000) from his deck in defense position. "Arent we stubborn." The agent sighed and entered the battle phase. "Number 102, shoot it down." The golden angel released an arrow of energy from his bow, which tore through the monster and produced shockwaves across the lands_. "Even though it did not inflict damage, it unleashed such power."_ Azar felt that not even his own Number could compare to this card.

"You think you are winning? You are wrong!" Suddenly two monster cards came from Ike's graveyard. "You destroyed my 'Speed Bird'. That triggers its effect to revive two level 2 monsters!" Kamui and Gusto Falco were special summoned back to Ike's field. "Oh? And?" The agent shrugged. "And it is My turn to Xyz-summon!" Ike started his turn. He performed an Xyz-summon of the 2nd rank. "I overlay my two level 2 monsters and summon Daigusto Phoenix in attack position!" The greenhaired witch and baby falcon merged into a winged dactyl(2/1500/1100), whose scales were made from hardened magma, and whose body was wrapped in green flames. "By detaching one material, Daigusto Phoenix can let a wind-element monster attack twice this turn!" The Phoenix swallowed the attached Kamui, hope of Gusto, and targeted itself for its effect. It created a fire-bodied clone of its own body. Unfortunately, in spite of this countermove, one fact remained unavoidable. "That is nice and all. But how do you plan on getting past my Number if you have none of your own?" The Numbers had one unique trait that was true for all of them, only they could harm each other. No card made by human hands could touch them. That was how they always manifested.

"Your Number will not save you, it will not save anyone! All I need is these.. Gusto Egul!" Ike normal summoned a tiny green eagle(1/200/400). "And Kamui! I activate Graceful Revival!" Ike then special summoned Kamui from the graveyard yet again, with one of his trap cards this time. Graceful Revival could revive any level 2 or lower monster, like the Hope of Gusto. "I do not just have xyz-monsters, angel!" Gusto Egul was a tuner monster. By tuning it with a level 2 monster, a level 3 monster could be synchro summoned. "Kamui and Egul, I tune you together to form Clausolas the Mist Bird in defense position!" This time the extra deck released a red-eyed condor(3/0/2300) with feathers of many colors_. "Ah." _This also clued Ike's opponent and his one-man audience in on his strategy.

"Clausolas can strip one monster of all its powers! Even yours!" The Mist Bird spread its wings and flew towards the Star Seraph Sentry. The birds talons pinned the overhundred number(0/2000) down against the temple ground, negating its effects and destroying its attackpoints. "I will make sure it stays gone!" Ike flipped his second trap card. "Dust Storm of Gusto. No attack or effect of a Gusto monster can be negated this turn!" A fierce tempest started blowing, providing cover to the Daigusto Xyz monster. "Phoenix, get rid of him! Use your two attacks on the Number, and his owner!" Daigusto Phoenix sent its greenflame doppelganger to consume the Star Seraph in its purging flames. Those flames spread even further, reaching the agent himself "Tch." His white coat was singed a little in the attack. "Your Number is gone now, angel! Maybe now you will see what I see! Maybe now you can find the truth!"

Agents LP:5000

"See what you see?" The agent smirked. "What?" The loss of his Number did not seem to have changed his mood. "Why are you.." Ike did not like this. "You will have to try harder, kid, to stop someone of my caliber. We have battled against Chaos itself. What chance do you think you have?" By now Ike had ended his turn, it was time for the opponent to draw. "What are you saying?" A sharp pulse ran down Ike's spine. Azar felt it too. _"?"_ It was a surge of power, coming from the agent. _"His next card.."_ Whatever the agent was about to draw, it was more than just a card.

"How about I just show you instead?" The agent pulled the card out, carrying brilliant star sparks in its wake. A spell card was shown. "To unseal this card, I must draw it in my draw phase and keep it revealed until the main phase. This card also can only be activated once the entire duel.." The spell was placed on his D-pad. "Then when my main phase begins I can activate it immediately! I play Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" The golden stars of the night sky turned bloodred and lightning shot in every direction. "Rank-Up?" Ike cried out in terror. The Star Seraph Sentry returned to the field, through the red energy. "I may special summon one Overhundred Number and rank it up into its chaos form!" The Number underwent a change. Star Seraph Sentry switched the golden armor and bow for a black set and red lance. The Seraphs body shifted into a more demonic shape and It(5/2900/2400) had even gained one rank star.

"You..brought it back? Stronger then before?" Ike could not believe what he was seeing. How could such a spell exist? "You got that right. The Seventh One takes one Overhundred Number and attached it to its chaos-form. Say good evening to my Chaosnumber 102: Archfiend Seraph!" The agent laughed and activated his monsters effect right off the bat. "Because my Chaosnumber has the original Number as an overlayed material, it can detach a card and use its effect on your monster! It might even feel familiar to you!" The demonic angel unfolded its wings and sent forth infernal energy to strike Daigusto Phoenix. "It negates your monsters effect, and cripples its attackpoints!" The Phoenix's own flames had been extinguished, it was nothing but a charred husk(0/1100) now. The hellfire was not done burning yet either. "Almost forgot to mention... When Archfiend Seraph loses its last material, it hands out 1500 points of damage.. to you of course." Now Ike's body was put to a fiery test. "Graaahhh!" And he fared far worse for less damage.

Ike's LP: 6500

"Sorry you had to go through that. But the fact that it hurts proves my point. There is still some chaos inside you." The agent continued his turn as his opponent writhed on the ground. "Only we can get rid of it for you, we who have tamed the power of Chaos... I special summon Archlord Krystia!" When exactly four fairy-type monsters rested in a players cemetery, that player could summon the redwinged knight angel(8/2800/2300) from their hand. Subsequently the Archlord's effect would activate. "Through Krystia, I retake one fairy-type card from the graveyard." The agent used it to reclaim Star Seraph Scepter. Though he did not summon that Seraph. "Star Seraph Sword." In its stead the blade-wing and bodied seraphim(4/1400/1000) was normal summoned besides the archangel and archfiend. "The Sword can raise its attackpower by discarding a Star Seraph from my hand and absorbing its attackpoints." The Scepter was sent back out the duelists hand and its 1800 attackpoints were added to those of the Sword seraphim(3200/1000).

"No.." Ike was no longer in pain. Because despair had taken over. "I am not what you say I am. Chaos did not get to me.." His future looked bleaker and bleaker. "That is what they all say. But your body says otherwise." His fate was settled once the agent placed his field spell down. The card was XYZ Territory, which added 200 attackpoints for each rank star on a Xyz monster that battled another Xyz monster. "We are not here to hurt you, not anymore. With this you should finally be cured of Chaos and regain your Number." The Archfiend Seraph threw its lance towards the Phoenix. The latters(400/1100) attackboost from the XYZ spell was not nearly enough to minimize the damage from the formers(4100/2400) attack.

Ike's LP: 2800

"But..who are you..what are you? How can you have such power?" Ike did not know what to believe anymore, he understood nothing. "This power is a gift from a real hero." The agent had Krystia smash the defending Mist Bird Clausolas. "As for me.. you can call me Ion." The final blow was then delivered by Star Seraph Sword, and it cut through Ike's spirit with one wide stroke.

Ike's LP: 0

"Ion!"

The next instant, Azar found himself back in his room, slumped on his desk. It took him a while to adjust. This was the reality, this was the present._ "A dream?" _Everything that had happened before, it was all gone. That fatal strike appeared to have woken him up. No wonder nobody really saw him, he was never there to begin with...

Except the duel he had seen.. why would he imagine that? _"Imagine? No."_ It felt like more than a dream. It had been too vivid and solid. Azar could always tell the difference between fiction and truth, his own eyes never lied to him. He felt it in his core, what he had just witnessed was a moment that really had taken place. It occurred months ago from the way things unfolded; when the final remnants of Chaos were cleansed from the world. Azar had no explanation for why or how he could have experienced an event he was not there for. And.. this was not the first time he had a dream like this, he now remembered. Why did he forget? Wy did he still have the idea, that not everything in that dream was as it should have been. One thing did not belong, one person.. Ion. It was like looking at a ghost.

Not right. Something was not right, not with this, not with them, not with the world and the Numbers. He had to find out what...

(To be Continued in Cipher 2: A World of Difference)

**Cards used by Ike Rhodes  
**Gusto Falco  
Kamui, Hope of Gusto  
Speed Bird  
Diagusto Phoenix  
Gusto Egul  
Mist Bird Clausolas

-  
Shrine of Mist Valley

-  
Graceful Revival  
Dust Storm of Gusto

**New Cards used by Ion  
**Star Seraph Scout  
Star Seraph Sage  
Star Seraph Scepter  
Number C102: Archfiend Seraph  
Archlord Krystia  
Star Seraph Sword

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One


	3. (Cipher 168): A World of Difference

**(Cipher 168) 2****: A World of Difference**

What did he know? What was real and what was not? There were two versions of the truth and they could not be reconciled. The past that Azar knew was the one of the Numbers. The human race faced the threat of an interdimensional terrorist known as Chaos, It had threatened to take that which made the humans 'human'.. their Number. It infected many, took their Numbers for itself and left them insane. When that threat came to his old town, to his old friends, they dueled it and its victims head on. Together and with the help of the agency, they learned how to fight back against the power of Chaos. Chaos retaliated with a cult of its own creation, a band of duelists that advocated the dawn of a new Numberless age; Tomorrow. They too were dealt with in the end. As the years record ended, Chaos had vanished from the earth.

But it was not the past Azar experienced in his sleep. His dreams were starting to come back to him one by one.

Azar recalled many just images, memories. He was there, yet how could he be? It did not seem possible for him to have been present during each and every moment. He had seen duels with his friends, against people he did or did not know. Shin, Ariel, Sky, Natasha, Ion, Subito, Ruby, Xander, Darcy, Trey, Dakar, the agents; each person had a place in his dream. There lied tragedy and triumph and all of it felt vague. One thing alone was not in question, each struggle had been against a Number and not with them. A ludicrous idea. The accepted history stated that Numbers and humans had been partners since ancient times. This other dream story made it all seem like something recent. Now Azar looked at his own Number. The card, Dragluon the 46th Number, lied on his desk among his deck of cards. It filled him with equal measures of comfort and distrust. He yearned to touch it, but he could not bring himself to do it.

_"Is this the work of Chaos? Is the entity still alive somehow, somewhere?"_

"Are you behind your computer again?" His thoughts were interrupted. A voice belonging to a rather bossy and tall brunette demanded his attention. "Camilla." His sister had entered his room. She had knocked, but he had not noticed. "Now what is this all about? Are you writing a story?" Her eyes caught sight of the monitor and the things written out on the screen. Azar had typed out his dreams in as much detail as he could remember, just to make sure he would not forget them again. "I do not like to write fiction, you know this. I was working on my thesis for school." Azar replied as he turned the screensaver on before turning to his sister. "Thesis?" For Camilla, having her brother work in his own room all the time was an everyday occurence. But the words she had seen on his screen were rather peculiar. Nevertheless she dropped the subject. Because she had something else to say. "Well I fear you shall have to postpone whatever it is that you are doing. There is someone here to see you."

"To see me? Here?" Azar had no friends here, around the family estate or in the nearby village. "Who is it?" He had not told his other friends where he lived either. "The one who called you every week, I recognize his voice. I believe his name is Shin Artega.."

...

"Shin?" As Azar walked down the stairwell he saw a young boy with bright eyes and bright red hair loitering in the hallway. His first and best friend had shown up. "Azar! My man!" Shin lit up when they spotted Helder. He rushed towards him. "Oh man, its been ages! And this is the first time I got to be at your place too! I never knew.. this house is huge... that you guys were doing so well!" He seemed quite impressed with the Helder estate. This fanciful and majestically designed domain gave off an air of wealth. Though it was nothing Shin was not used to. "What does your family even do? And why did you never tell me.. us? Why were you living in that old apartment when you could have this? Heck, do you have a butler or anything? We do, but then our place is a bit bigger..I.." As was the norm for Shin, his excitement got ahead of everything else, including the words that his friend wanted to share with him. "Shin. How did you get here? And why?" Finally Azar managed to get a question in there. "Why? Do I need any reason to come visit you?" Shin was seemingly unaware of any misdoings. "Oh.. You mean, how did I find you? Well that was easy. Your sister told me. Also this is the only house with an active duelist ID in ten miles." Shin smirked as he pointed at his own dueling pad, which was turned on already.

"You brought that thing with you?" At that point Camilla joined them. "I gave you the address because I thought you had something urgent to say.. Do not tell me you have come all this way to play games with my brother." She would be rolling her eyes if she did not find that kind of gesture too trite. ".. Shin. This is my sister, Camilla Helder." Azar went on to introduce the two, to break the tension. "Ah! Camilla! You never told me about her either! Ehr... pleasure to meet you! I am Shin Artega!" Shin gave her his own name in turn. "I am well aware of that, mister Shin. Interesting; for such an affluent family your spirit does not seem to be burdened by the weight of class." The look she gave him did not really make clear if she appreciated his presence or not. "Azar, your friend looks harmless. But if he came here to 'duel', take it outside. You know how father feels about it." She sighed and returned to the second floor. "Oh.." Shins expression changed. "So that's why?"

"No. Not because of that." Azar could tell what Shin was thinking; that he had left home so he could be free to duel and do anything else that the family did not approve of. The truth was different. "Come, we will catch up outside.."

So they talked. Shin did most of the speaking, naturally. He explained how everyone was doing back at home. Subito had started helping their father with his work, Ariel was preparing for the art academy, Sky enrolled himself in a martial arts tournament. Almost everyone had found something to work for. In the mean time Shin asked Azar what he was doing, how it was to live here, what his family did, and so on. Azar managed to answer the questions.. for a while. "But what I dont get yet is.. why did you leave?" That question Azar could not answer. In his head he returned to the day he made that decision and there was nothing there; no reasoning, no motivation. "Shin.." So he didn't say anything. He wanted to know something from Shin now. "Have you been feeling.. odd lately?"

"Odd?" Shin blinked. He had no idea what to make of this subject. "Have you been having unusual dreams..thoughts?" Azar clarified himself. "I have had the suspicion, Shin, that the world is not safe yet. I do not know how or why, I can not explain this feeling. But it is there. This life I am living right now, it does not feel right. It feels like I am sleepwalking in the middle of a thick fog.."

"Hmm. I wouldn't know anything about that. Everythings been pretty quiet." Shin listened intently, but he did not share Azars dread. He couldn't. "You know what you need?" A big grin was plastered on his face, as he took out his D-pad. "A match! Just for gold times sake! It sounds like you have too much on your mind, so this should get some pressure of.. get thhad to be infectious, because Azar began to smile as well. "I will be right back." He returned to the manor and grabbed his cards and D-pad. Along the way he passed his sisters room. For an instant he thought he felt Camilla stare daggers into his back. He apparently imagined it, as her door was closed. _"..Odd."_

"Well here we are." Azar met with Shin in the backgarden, the best place to play the game without obstructions. "Yup! I am feeling nostalgic already! I mean, when was the last time we had a duel that was not a matter of life and death?" Shin laughed. He had his deck already assembled. "I think.. before it all started." Azar was not even sure anymore. Looking at his old cards though, made him feel pleasant inside at least. _"Guess I missed it more than I thought." _He readied his cards and activated the D-pad. "Alright! Duel! You can go first! This is your home turf and all!" Shin picked five cards from the top of his deck. "Very well." Azar drew six. "I place one monster down and one trap card. And that is my turn."

Azars LP: 8000 Shins LP: 8000

"Oh. keeping your deck a secret eh? Well.." Shin normal summoned his first monster, a silverhaired black magic caster; Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000). One of his oldest cards. "Mine wont come as a surprise!" Shin then special summoned his second monster; a young redhaired girl(2/400/800) holding a magic tome; Gagaga Clerk. "So I dont need to explain much." The Clerk could summon herself, if a 'Gagaga' monster was already on his side. "I activate Gagaga Magicians effect and reduce his level to 2!" The male mage(2/1500/1000) used his magic to drop two of his level stars. "So I can overlay him with Gagaga Clerk and Xyz-summon a rank 2 monster!" The Gagaga Pair turned into energy and created a portal. "Shining Elf!" A blonde elf(2/1600/1000) in sharp and shining armor jumped out of the portal, attaching the Clerk and Magician to itself.

"I activate the continuous spell: Sorcerous Spell Wall! My monsters gain 300 attackpoints during my battle phase!" Six holographic sorcerers formed a magic circle. "Attack!" As the battle phase began, that circle empowered the attacking Elf(1900/1000). A shining sword was drawn and plunged into the face-down card. "You activated my monsters effect, Shin" A blonde ponytail-haired sorceress(5/1500/1100) in black cape and armor was flipped face-up during the battle step. "Lady of Dragons; by discarding one dragon from my hand, I can negate her destruction." Azar did just that, and sent a White Stone of Legend from his hand to cancel out the damage from Shining Elfs attack. "Lady of Dragons? Don't you mean lady of D?" Shin chuckled to himself. "I prefer a less ridiculous name over the official text." Azar told him, as he activated the effect of his discarded monster next. Because White Stone of Legend had been sent to the grave, Azar could add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his deck to his hand. "..Wait. You still use dragons, even Blue-Eyes? But I know you can afford a better deck now." Lady of D. was a typical card for any cookie-cutter dragon deck, like the one Azar had scraped together when he first started dueling again. "I could, and I have. I just prefer this theme, thus I did not change too much."

"I guess I can hardly call you out on that." Shin snickered as he was just as guilty of maintaining old habits. "This even feels very familiar. I used Shining Elf in our last duel, didn't I?" Shin reminisced about their first duel, though the fine details were murky. "Yes, you did." Azar started to reflect on that part of the past as well. It felt.. important. "But! I have learned some new moves since then! Check this out!" Shin entered the second main phase. "I can perform a special Xyz-symmon during this phase!" He took one card from his extra deck and placed it on top of the Shining Elf. "There is one magician who can summon herself by attaching a lowranked Xyz monster and its materials to herself." The elf transformed into an overlayed energy sphere, as a blue-haired magical chemist girl(4/2100/200) took his place. "Her name is Downerd Magician. She gains 200 attackpoints for each of her overlay materials!" The three materials added more of a punch to her(2700/200) potions. "Whadya think about that?"

"That's new. That deserves a new Xyz monster in return." Azars second turn began. He normal summoned a dragon this time, an apocalyptic dragon(4/1000/1500) made from hellfire. "Divine Dragon Apocralyph. I activate its effect." Apocralyph swapped one card in a players hand for a dragon in the graveyard. Azar used this effect to discard his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and return White Stone of Legend to his hand. "Now it served its purpose, I can Xyz-summon Queen Dragun Djinn." Apocralyph and Lady of D. were placed on top of each other, in more than one sense. The cards were overlayed and attached to a rank 4 monster. That monster had the lower body of the Divine Dragon and the upper body of the Dragon Lady. This was the Queen Dragun Djinn(4/2200/1200). "Ooh, a centaur dragon." Shin had not seen this one before.

"I can detach one material from this Xyz monster to let it special summon one level 5 or higher dragon from the grave." That was an easy choice. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Azar felt a rush of energy as the Queen resurrected the majestic blue-eyed dragon(8/3000/2500). He was surprised by that. "... The summoned monster can not attack or use its effects. However." Azar placed a spell on the field. ".. by activating this spell, my dragon can still destroy your spellcaster. Shin, I use Burst Stream of Destruction!" The white dragon opened its mouth, charging white thunder between its teeth. "When I control Blue-Eyes, all your monsters will be destroyed by this spell!" The dragon unleashed the burst and buried the Downerd Magician with a stream of white light. "Oh boy." Now unlike her targets, Queen Dragun Djinn herself _could _still attack. "I declare a direct attack! Sorry about that Shin." Azars Djinn played a tune on her burning harp, releasing a bolt of flames from the dragonhead tip of the instrument. Said flames reached Shin in an instant. "Ack."

Shins LP: 5800

"Oh. Right. Its just a hologram. Gotta get used to that too." Shin inspected his own clothes. There was not a single mark on them. "...Yes. The damage does not normally became real.. until the true Numbers appear." It was this that planted another seed of doubt in Azars mind. _"Why did the Numbers, for us, take the shape of cards?"_ He had always taken that for granted, like many others. Not anymore.

While he pondered that mystery, Shin moved on. "My turn now!" He wasted no time and brought out his next card. "I summon Gagaga Sister!" An even younger girl(2/200/800) in pink ribbon armor popped up from a tuft of smoke. Her effect would place a Gagaga spell or trap card from the deck into her masters hand. "I take Gagagarevenge!" Gagagasister took an equip spell out for Shin. "Naturally I activate this card and resummon Gagaga Magician!" Gagagarevenge could equip itself to any dead Gagaga monster to summon it from the graveyard. In this case it brought the main magician(4/1500/1000) back to life. "Go Gagaga Magician!" Shin reused the effect. This time Gagaga Magician(6/1500/1000) raised his level by two stars. "And go Gagaga Sister!" Shin also activated the second effect of the sister, which added her level to that of another Gagaga monster, and altered both their levels to become the combined total.

"Level 8..." Azar shuddered. The current state of Gagaga Magician(8/1500/1000) and Gagaga Sister(8/200/800) could only mean one thing. "Yup! I Xyz-summon Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" This Gagaga duo reached for the 8th rank, they were overlayed and formed Shins very own Photonic dragon. Not an imitation, this was the real Number 62. "..." An immense force washed over Azar. It felt nauseating to be in the shadow of this great monster, the starbright-winged darkblue dragon(8/4300/3000). "A monster Xyz-summoned with a Gagagarevenge-equipped monster gains 300 attackpoints." Shin could not help but explain why his dragon had one additional powerboost. It(4600/3000) gained another from Sorcerous Spell Wall, as Shin entered the battle phase. "When it fights, Prime Photon Dragon himself can gain 200 attackpoints for each Rank star on the field!" Shin detached one material from his Number. The 8 rank stars of Prime Photon and 4 stars of the Queen Dragun added even more attackpoints to his already mighty Number(7000/3000). "Here it comes!" With one decisive blast, Number 62 removed the Dragun Djinn from the face of the earth. The blast shook the trees and statues in the garden.

Azars LP: 5600

"Kgh." The damage Azar took was not equivalent to what he would normally take however. "Aw. I forgot. Unless It has Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon attached as a material, Prime Photon Dragon can only inflict half its normal damage." Shin slapped his forehead. "I didn't get to kill the biggest threat either." Blue-Eyes was still alive because Queen Draguns second power prevented the destruction of dragons who did battle. He basically had to kill the Queen first. "Oh well. I set a card down and end my turn."

"..." Azar drew his next card. _"This one?"_ Amazingly, it was exactly what he required. "...I control a level 8 monster. That means I can normal summon this dragon without tributes; Parsec the Insterstellar Dragon." A sleek purple/green dragon alien(8/800/800) materialized besides the White Dragon. "Uh oh. Two level 8 monsters!? I know what that means.." Shin moaned. Allthough his fear did not sound entirely genuine._ "My Number.."_ Nevertheless Azars path seemed obvious. He could summon his own Number 46: Draggluon. Draggluon could take control of any dragon on the field, even a Number. If he were to do so, he would be able to take over Prime Photon Dragon and finish off Shin with two direct attacks. And he wanted too. Azar felt a desire to bring form to his card like never before. Yet.. there was a force to counter that urge; simple logic.

"No." Azar shook his head. "I will not fall for the trap." He placed Parsec on top of Blue-Eyes, and performed an Xyz-summon. "Huh?" It was not the rank 8 monster Shin expected. Azar summoned the Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis; the solar dragon god(8/3000/2400) in golden armor. "Double huh?" Shin had no clue as to why Azar would summon this thing, which would only make the duel harder for Azar. Had he seen through his ploy? That was what he assumed. He was right too, a trap was a part of the reason why this had happened.

_"I can not..use it."_ Only a part. The reality was this, as soon as Azar started doubting his next move, he started fearing it. A part of him was rejecting the Number, his dread had grown beyond logic. _"I can not summon it. But I can not..lose this duel either."_ He had to win now. It was too late for any other outcome, too late to escape. _"This whole duel has been a trap from the beginning. Someone sent Shin here to force me to use my Number!"_

(To be Continued in Cipher 3: 46th)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Lady of D.  
Queen Dragun Djinn

-  
Burst Stream of Destruction

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Downerd Magician

-  
Sorcerous Spell Wall


	4. (Cipher 169): 46th

**(Cipher 169) 3: 46th**

Azars LP: 5600 Shins LP: 5800

"I activate My Xyz monsters effect." Azar detached one material from the Xyz-monster(8/3000/2400) he had just summoned. "Heliopolis can destroy one or more cards, by sacrificing monsters on my field or in my hand." Azar sent the Hieratic Dragons of Eset and Su from his hand to the graveyard; two cards for two targets. "I destroy your Number and your set spell/trap card!" The Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord invoked the brutal powers of the solar prominence, illuminating the garden. "Awk!" Shins mighty Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(8/4300/3000) and set trap card, Magic Cylinder, were removed from his side. "You got around my ambush!" He groaned. "Ambush?" Azar misunderstood that remark for something less innocent at first. "Oh. You wanted me to summon Draggluon and take control of Number 62." He eventually figured out what Shin had wanted to do. He had set Magic Cylinder to deflect an attack from the Primal dragon, which would near cripple his lifepoints if the trap was succesful. In fact it could undo him entirely, as he would have tried to use Prime Photon Dragons attackpoint boosting effect to compensate for the damage-halving condition that was in place on Prime Photon Dragon. Without a Galaxy-Eyes attached to Number 62, it could not resummon itself from the graveyard either. "That is all you planned."

"Yeah? What else could I have planned?" Shin fumed. He was disappointed that Azar had seen through his strategy so easily. "Never mind." But Azar was glad. There was no sinister intent behind Shins actions, he was sure of that now. Whatever was going on, Shin had no idea of it. Then was he being used? "Because I tributed the Hieratic Dragons Eset and Su, their effects are triggered. They special summon two normal-type dragons from my deck, with their stats reduced to nothing." Azar searched his deck and found two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Both of them(8/0/0) were summoned to the garden. "I use them as Xyz-materials." Azar overlayed his White Dragons and performed another rank 8 Xyz-summon. He did not summon Draggluon this time either. He went with Thunder End Dragon(8/3000/2000) instead. Regardless, he had enough attack power to finish the duel. "Direct attack!" Heliopolis made the first strike, and gathered solar flames in its claws.

Shin however was not entirely helpless. "I special summon Gagaga Gardna from my hand!" With himself made into an attack target, Shin could bring out the shield-bearing Gagaga warrior(4/1500/2000) from his hand in defense mode. During Azars battle phase, Sorcerous Spell Wall would raise any monsters defense by 300 points as well. Though that did not affect much. "I see." Azar continued the assault, the Hieratic Overlord hurled the flare away. "Gagaga Gardna can discard a card from my hand, to negate its own destruction!" Shin let go of the last card in his hand, just to make sure his Gardna(1500/2300) withstood the first attack. _"Damn."_ It took a second attack from Thunder End Dragon to get rid of it. One bolt of lightning reduced Gagaga Gardna to dust. _"I have to defeat him. I can not lose here." _Azar was unfortunately out of cards to play. His turn had to end now.

"Oh you nearly had me there!" For his part, Shin remained unaware of the tension in the air. "I might not even get a chance to turn it around!" Shin would need a good card to get him out of his pinch at least. "Draw!" Sadly.. for Azar.. "Allright! No dead draw for me!" ..it was a lifesaver. "I activate Gagagadraw! I banish three Gagaga monsters from my graveyard to draw two cards!" Shins spell removed Gagaga Clerk, Gardna and Sister from the graveyard. Next, two cards entered his hand; two more Gagaga cards. "Lucky!" Shin quickly activated one of them. "Spell card: Gagagag Academy Emergency Network!" Because only Azar controlled monsters right now, Shin could summon any Gagaga monster from his deck. "Here she is, Gagaga Girl!" He went with the beautiful apprentice magician: Gagaga Girl(3/1000/700). "That's one down. One to go.. I normal summon Gagaga Caesar!" The imperial white warrior(3/1800/300) was next.

_"Those exact two cards?" _Shins luck was something else. It was getting to a point where Azar had to wonder if it was all just a coincidence.

What Shin would do with them was obvious too. Gagaga Caesar could banish one fallen monster in, if it had a level. All Gagagas would then copy the level of the banished monster. "I activate Caesars effect and banish Hierophant of Prophecy from my graveyard!" This time around it banished the monster Shin had discarded earlier through Gardna's effect. Both the Caesar(7/1800/300) and Girl(7/1000/700) were now ready for the seventh rank. "I do not know if you saw me use this one before, actually. So maybe it will stun you!" The Gagaga's were placed on top of each other. "Here goes! I Xyz-summon the Dark Magician of Illusions!" Another magic circle opened a path into the extra deck, and a dark-armored spellcaster(7/2500/2100) with long blonde hair came through it. Shin did not to say of course, that this summoning also led to the activation of Gagaga Girls ability. "..." Azar saw the attackpoints of his special summoned Thunder dragon(0/2000) drop to zero, because Gagaga Girl had been used as an Xyz-material for a dark-attribute Xyz-monster and her attackreducing effect had gone off.

That effect needed no explanations, unlike Shins Xyz-monsters effect. "Dark Magician of Illusions can summon a normal spellcaster from my hand or deck." The Illusionist drew one of its Xyz-materials into its staff. "I am gonna go with Dark Magician, the classic variant!" With the charged up staff, the Illusion Magician casted a spell that called its counterpart from the deck; the Dark Magician(7/2500/2100). He resembled the Xyz-monster in everything but hairstyle and skintone, as he was paler and kept his hair in his helmet. "That's not the best part though!" Shin opened the battle phase. "Because when a normal spellcaster declares an attack, Dark Magician of Illusions can banish one of your cards, Azar!" The Dark Magician(2800/2100), now empowered by Sorcerous Spell Wall, was about to destroy the weakened Thunder End Dragon. At this time, the Xyz-mage prepared another illusion. "Gotcha!"

"Ugh!" Azar would be left with no defenses after the Dark Magician destroyed his other Xyz-monster, his life would be depleted entirely. "Trap card, Dragons Rebirth!" So Heliopolis would not be banished by Shins card. "I banish one dragon I control, to summon another from my graveyard!" Azar did not let his dragon go to waste. "You what?" Shin saw it disappear alright, only to be exchanged for the first Blue-Eyes White Dragon(8/3000/2500) in Azars cemetery. "Man. I was so close too!" Dark Magician still killed Thunder End Dragon. That victory was not as sweet as a complete one would have been. "Still one step ahead of me. You did not lose any of your skills, did you Azar?" He ended his turn. Shin still was having fun.

Azars LP: 2750

"No. I guess not." Azar drew his card. "Shin. Do you remember our first duel? Do you remember why we dueled?" He suddenly asked his friend, with a loaded tone. "Why?" Shin thought it through, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Uhh. the tournament! Right? You wanted to train with me." That was all he could come up with. It was also technically true from his point of view. "..That must have been it." Azar recalled telling Shin as much.. except.. he was not sure if that was the truth. What other reason had there been? There was one, a forgotten motive. "It's not important. It happened."

"Cards of Consonance." Azar activated a hand exchange spell card. He swapped out the White Stone of Legend in his hand, for two cards from his deck. "Dragons Mirror." Azar activated a spell card, a fusion spell card. "Whoa what!?" Every duelist knew about this card. Dragons Mirror could fusion summon any dragon fusion monster with materials on the field or in the graveyard! "Are you gonna summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon?" Azar had the necessary cards for the threeheaded white dragon. "No. Beyond that." And he had room for more, for an even bigger fusion monster. "Five dragons can be merged, to summon this dragon." Azar banished one remaining Blue-Eyes, Hieratic Dragon Su, Divine Dragon Apocralyph, Queen Dragun Djinn and White Stone of Legend. "I fusion summon Five-Headed Dragon!" A mythical godlike dragon was created from the bodies of the five banished beasts. This dragon(12/5000/5000) had one head for each element besides Light; heads of fire and steel, dark scales, blue scales and light scales.

Azar began his battle phase and proceeded to destroy Shins monsters. The Fiveheaded Dragon destroyed the Illusion Mage with blasts of earth, water, wind, fire and darkness. "Oh boy. Now that's old-school." Shin had no defense against it and he did not seem to mind. "Way oldschool." When his Dark Magician fell in battle with Blue-Eyes White Dragon, all he could do was admire the symbolic nature of it all. The magician and the dragon had always been rivals.

Shins LP: 2800

"I am sorry Shin. This duel is over." And while Shin was not Azars rival, he could not go easy on him. "Quickplay spell card: Silvers Cry." To that end he played a ressurection spell from his hand, one that targeted destroyed normal-type dragons. "Oh geez." A second Blue-Eyes(8/3000/2500) was summoned back to Azars side, still in the middle of his battle phase. "Direct attack!" Perhaps somewhat over-enthusiastically, Azar concluded their game. The great dragon let loose its burst stream of destruction and sent Shins lifepoints into oblivion. "Oh nooooo." Shin laughed as he dramatically kneeled down to surrender. "Oh wow. That was a blast!"

Shins LP: 0

"I imagine it must have been." Ever the example of punctuality, Camilla Helder showed up in the garden as soon as as the duel had been settled. "You are done then?" She asked as she looked down at Shin. "Oh..ah.. yes! Ahem..I hope I did not cause too much of a disturbance." He quickly pulled himself up and inspected his surroundings. He had summoned a Number and only now started worrying about the damage that could have caused. Shin forgot to lower the intensity of his D-pad. "You shook some leaves loose from the trees. Father'll survive." Camilla had already assessed the damage as a mere trifle. "What will you do now then? Do you have accommodations or transport?" She did not know how he got here, and the hour was growing late. "You are welcome to pass the night here. In that event you would stay for dinner, of course. The food is not synthetically made, but we Helders prefer the old-fashioned ways of cooking."

"Stay here? Meet the family?" Shin did not want to make it too obvious that he had second thoughts about that. "Nah. I am good. I don't want to.. whats the word? Impose! Yeah I don't want to impose on you. I have a Limo.. and a driver!" Luckily his home was not too far from here. "Suit yourself. Azar, I will be in the main room." Camilla nodded at her brother and withdrew from the scene. "And I thought that Janis chick sounded old-fashioned." As soon as she was gone, Shin eased up again. "It's just the family way." Azar said with a sigh. In spite of her polite act, he had not failed to notice that she did not actually say goodbye to Shin. "But it is getting late. We should probably go our separate ways here." Azar de-activated his D-pad. "Yeah I can come back another time. It was nice seeing you again. You should come visit us some time! They may not talk about it as endlessly as I do, but the rest of the gang misses you too!"

"The gang.." Once again the past flashed before Azars eyes. Now, for the first time since he left the city and them, did he feel regret. He did want to go back there. "Perhaps I will. It would make me happy. We will see... I have a lot of work to do." He was not ready yet. Or so he told himself. Whatever this feeling of dread was, he wanted to locate the cause. "Shin. If anything happens, I want you to tell me, understand?" He did not want to involve Shin directly. This was as much as he could ask of him. "Sure Azar. I will keep in touch. Don't know what you are so spooked about though."

Neither did Azar.

...

_"My notes?"_ Azar could not believe it. It was all gone. His notes, his dream log; they were deleted from his computer. He checked and checked again, they were nowhere to be found. In fact he could find no proof of them ever existing. Yet he was sure he had typed them out. _"What could do this? Why?"_ For a second he thought of calling out Camilla to ask her if she had anything to do with this. However she couldn't have been responsible. Azar always knew when someone had been in his room, there were telltale signs like on what angle the door stood or how much dust had gathered on his chair and desk. Nobody had sat here since he left to see Shin. Had he imagined it all? Was he simply getting delusional and paranoid? No, his eyes never lied.. Never. The timing was too suspicious. This 'erasure' had to have taken place during his duel with Shin, a duel in which he was about to use his Number. Whatever made Shin appear then and there also took his data way, as if it expected Azar to have a change of heart. But what could manipulate Shin without Shin being aware of it? Was it..the Number itself?

_"The Numbers. It all comes back to them."_

He dug deeper, searching for any information he could find on the net. The Numbers, there was no record of them until the early 21st century. That was to be expected, as the Numbers had only been discovered fifteen years ago. People learned how to control these Numbers and improve the quality of life with them. Still very little was understood about them, about their own origin. People did not even know why they were always expressed in only two dimensions. Where did they come from? That was the big puzzle. If you were to believe the religious side, then they were a gift from the gods, a blessing from the messiah or even something unwittingly released from a Box. Far from the truth perhaps, but every myth had an origin in reality.

Meanwhile to the world of science, figuring out the creation of Numbers was like trying to analyze the creation of the universe. It could not be done, it was not attempted. As far as any man or woman knew, the Numbers had been around since the dawn of time. The thing that put off Azar the most, was the fact that nobody seemed to question it. Nobody talked much about it, online or in the real world. Nobody even questioned what the Numbers wanted. They were not seen as a conscious form of life, or even a life. They were just accepted as a part of nature. Humans did not wonder where Chaos had come from, or where he had gone either. They just believed It to be dead. The world was happier this way, with no more conflict, no more struggle. All they focused on was the future, on matters like space exploration. The past was left behind, as written by the digital age. There was not a single trace of data online that countered this worldview... Azar did not trust it. The dreams had shown him something else, a world unfamiliar with Numbers.

...

On the other side of the country, in a grim house near the suburbs, a phone rang. "Yes?" It was picked up and answered by a female voice. "It happened again? I was affraid of this.. Who is it this time?" She asked, and gasped when the answer was given. "NO.. not Azar."

...

The next morning, Azar headed out. He was going to class as far as his family knew, they never bothered to check whether or not he did. He maintained his own finances anyway. All he brought with him were his clothes, his D-pad and cards, and his paper notebook. He started writing things down on paper after losing faith in his laptop. In actuality he was travelling a greater distance, and not in pursuit of Shin. As much as Azar wanted to see his friends again, and as much as he believed they were as innocent as Shin, he could not bring this to them. Eyes and ears were everywhere, any person could be in on this... Any person with a Number. If he could not trust the Numbers, not many people were left for him to talk with.

There might be one. In the war against Chaos, there had been another.. a human with a power like that of Chaos. They met her as an Agent, who at first had been used as a weapon against the threat. She soon grew unstable and tried to destroy the Numbers herself. He was there that day that she had been stopped. She might know more..

Azar took the fastest train he could find and journeyed towards a city in a whole other country. These days public transport could get you anywhere in a matter of hours, all thanks to the power of Numbers. Once there he approached an unassuming domicile in a middle-class neighborhood. Unless you knew the adress it would be difficult to find the specific location. Thankfully it was not a well-guarded secret. Azar rang the bell next to the door.

"Yes?" A woman with long black hair opened it. "Hello. My name is Azar Hellder, is this the house of Carpenter?" He greeted her. "Yes it is. I'm Stella Carpenter. And you said your name was Helder? Oh. You must be here for my daughter then!" The woman had heard of that surname before. "Come in! Come in!" The eager way in which he was welcomed, Azar could only assume that this house did not get many visitors. "I will call her!" She left the door and allowed Azar to come in, while she called for her daughter.

"It's you!" Down the stairs she came, the girl in grey. She looked happy to see him and was all smiles. "Yes. It's me. Hello Ann." Azar had not replied right away. The image that Azar remembered so deeply was in such sharp contrast to this girl here, that it distracted him. The other her was nowhere anymore, she who called herself 'Necara'. "I hope you can help me with something."

(To be Continued in Cipher 4: Lonely In Sanity)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Five-Headed Dragon

-  
Dragons Rebirth

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Dark Magician


	5. (Cipher 170): Lonely in Sanity

**(Cipher 170) 4: ****Lonely In Sanity**

"Take a seat, sit anywhere. Can I get you anything?" Ann's mother did most of the talking, and behaved like the perfect host. Ann herself just watched from the sidelines and waited. Once mrs. Carpenter left the room, he was able to speak with her daughter. Ann did not start talking by herself, so a few silent pauses followed. In that time Azar noticed certain things about their house. How clean everything was, and how the walls were covered with family photos. "Do you normally get guests to come over?" He could not resist some questions. "Not normally no. But that is okay. We are happy together by ourselves." Ann finally said. She did sound and look cheerful. You would not even believe she had been twisted into a destructive maniac by an otherworldly entity. "So why did you come here?" She asked with a big grin on her face. Ann was clearly pleased to see one of 'the gang' again.

"You may call me insane after hearing what I want to say, but things have been different for me lately. I have been experiencing unusual dreams, visions." Sooner or later he would have to confess, so he chose to do it now while the two were still alone. "...Go on." Anns tone had changed already. She took it with a more serious interest than Shin had. "I see things, that can not be real, but feel real. I dream of fights I had never seen before, duels against Numbers and unknown beings. And now I have started to grow uncomfortable with my own Number." He paused to make sure he saw Anns reaction again. She said nothing. She was thinking though, he could tell. "Either I am losing my mind, or it is an outside force. I feel as if Chaos is somehow involved in all of this, for better or worse."

"Better? What do you mean.. Better?" That particular word seemed to bother her. "Better than before. I am saying that I do not know anymore if Chaos was a force of corruption. That is how we remember it, but that is not what the visions are telling me. How can I know if that side is telling the truth?" Even now there was no evidence that the dreams were the real thing, no matter how vivid they were to him. "Then why come to me? You have.. other friends, dont you?" Ann did not seem affraid to admit that she was not really close with Azar or anyone he knew. Her family had been enough. "Because.. and I can not say this any more delicately.. you know what it is like to be manipulated by one of these beings. I was hoping you could tell me, if I could see a way through it. I need to understand.."

"..." Anns response was not what Azar expected. "I have to go." Without a hint of regret, anger or confusion in her voice, she stood up and walked out of the living room. "Ann? Wait!" Azar got up and was about to follow her, when her mother came back with refreshments. "Oh dear? is something wrong?" She and Azar heard the front door open and close behind them. "Oh. It must that time again." Mrs. Carpenter seemed to already know what was happening. "Time? What do you mean? Where did she go?"

"She always goes off to play with other kids around this time of day. She must be late, I am sure she did not want to offend you... If you want to catch her, you can meet her again on the sport playgrounds."

...

Oddly un-invested she might have sounded, Anns mother had told the truth. Azar found Ann again at the nearest sportpark. But no physical sports were held here, only duels. It seemed like kids of her ages had come to train and accumulate dueling points by winning. There was a competition to prepare for almost every month. Ever since the Numbers became involved, the popularity of this game skyrocketed. There were ten times as many duelists now, each having gained their own Number. To most this was no longer just a game. This was their version of war. It had been with these weapons that they fought against those that tried to take the Numbers away. Even though most had not even actively participated in the struggles against Chaos, each duelist felt a surge in battle thirst during those dark days. So the world had become like this, the spirit of competition and strife survived through the duel. It was a far more agreeable method of settling ones disagreements than physical or militaristic violence.

Ann was in such a duel right now, Azar could see her but she was unaware of his presence._ "I can't get in her way now." _Azar decided to let things play out. He sat down on of the available benches. _"If she is still as good as she used to be, then this match can not last much longer. Though I do not know how much of her style has changed.."_ Ann stood opposite of a young girl with punk-styled hair and wearing a leather top. They both had their D-pads active and their Visors on. It was an unusual sight to see Ann with a visor on. Then again, Azar had never seen Ann duel as 'herself'.

Anns LP: 8000 Bianca's LP: 8000

Bianca had the first turn. "I learned some new tracks since the last time, N! I play Double Summon! I can normal summon twice this turn!"" Bianca yelled as her turn began with a spell card. "I know what that card does. You don't need to tell me." Ann replied as she usually did when facing talkative opponents, but in a kinder way. She did not need a Duel Visor to understand such a common card. "Yeah well. Do you know what I am gonna summon!?" Bianca took two monsters from her hand and manifested them on the field. "Thought not. I call Crashbug Z and Crashbug Y!" They were bomb-headed prisoners in chains and stripes; one(4/0/1500), was lanky and thin. the other (4/1400/1600) fat and short. "So when Crashbug Y is normal summoned while I control Crashbug Z, I can special summon Crashbug X from my deck!" The two bugmen pulled their third partner in crime out of the deck, an even shorter kid(4/0/2000). "Then I overlay all three to special summon Number 67: Gravity Glutton!" The three cybernetic imps broke up into static energy and imploded into one singularity; a massive black hole(0/5100) that twisted the light around in such a way that skull of light was formed at the center.

_Number 41: Gravity Glutton, 2/0/? Light/Pyro  
__2 or more Level 4 Monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with a "Number" monster.  
__This cards DEF is equal to the combined original DEF of the Xyz Materials used to summon it. __You can detach 1 or more Xyz Material(s) from this card.  
__While this card has no Xyz Material(s), the ATK and DEF of other monster you control becomes equal to this cards ATK and DEF._

_"Gravity Glutton."_ Azar thought to himself. That was the 67th Number, and at the same time it likely was not. The Numbers were infinite in potential and shape, yet their basic form and power remained the same. One hundred hopes and desires took one hundred cards, Azar was sure many myths were based on that amount. Regardless, only 100 number cards existed in this 'archetype'. There were a million Number 41s out there, not all of them even needed to take the form of Gravity Glutton or even a dueling card. These rules and limitations were another standard that mankind had just accepted.. They did not mind as long as people kept the power of their D-pads at a low intensity. They did not want to see their parks damaged after all.

At any rate, Bianca seemed adept at using the Number that had chosen her. "I detach all three materials from my monster!" By activating its effect she would grant all her other monsters the power of her defensive wall. The wall only could not empower itself. "..." So it was bizarre then that Bianca had summoned Gravity Glutton in attack position. "I know whats on your mind. Whydidshedosomethingsostupidasthat? Keep watching!" Bianca took another card from her hand. "I can special summon Super Crashbug from my hand, by banishing Crashbugs X, Y and Z from my hand!" In her graveyard the three cyber criminals were defragmented and converted into one massive cyber demon(4/0/3000) that took form on the field. "Super Crashbug has a neat power youknow? It switches the attack and defense points of all monsters in attack mode!" The super bug could not use this power on itself, as it always special summoned itself in defense position with its effect. But that did not matter as it simply copied the stats of Gravity Glutton(5100/0), who was now enjoying its new attackpoints along with Superbug(5100/0)

"On the next turn I will have 10200 combined attackpoints. That should be more than enough, dont you think?" Bianca placed a trap card from her hand down on the field, and was about to end her turn. "Oh! Cant forget this!" Instead, she placed a continuous spell on the field. "The Forbidden Second! For one turn, we can not set any card! No flat cards allowed!" A virus coursed through the dueling field, affecting all zones. "That's a problem for someone like you, isnt it?"

_The Forbidden Second, Continuous Spell  
__Both players cannot set cards. Destroy this card during your next standby phase._

"Yes, you know." It was a light jolt for Ann, to see a card that perfectly countered hers. But it did not come as a surprise. "Of course. I see you train here all the time, and you usually win and get a lot of dueling points!" Bianca pointed at herself with a greedy smile. The more DP a duelist had, the more you gained when you beat that duelist. "So go ahead, take your turn. You only run traps, you cant do anything!" The punk girl passed the turn to her opponent. "...Okay." Ann drew her card and played a field spell from her hand. "Crematorium of Dreams?" Bianca gasped as a ring of flames circled around the two duelist. Not all cards in her deck were traps? She had not expected that!

_Crematorium of Dreams, Field Spell  
__The controller of this card can activate trap cards the same turn they are set. If there is a monster card in your graveyard, banish this card._

"Uh-huh. That card allows you to activate traps during the turn they are set. You still can't actually use them that way yaknow!" Right now even the Crematorium field could not get passed the Forbidden Second's effect. Something did however. "Huh?" Before her eyes, Bianca's spell was destroyed. "Huh!?" It was sucked away by a watery whirlwind. "HUH!?" The card that did, was a trap! "How!? You cant.." She winced as she looked at her visor. "Typhoon?" Ann was not going to feed her the answer, she had to look the effect up herself. "This trap can be activated when your opponent controls two trap or spell cards.. from the hand!?" That was how her card had been broken; because she controlled a trap as well as her spell, Ann had activated Typhoon from her hand and destroyed Forbidden Second. "Oh you sneak!"

Ann then placed four traps on her field, and flipped one face-up. The card was a trap monster, which special summoned itself to her field. Said monster was the accursed statue, Tiki Curse(4/1000/1800). Even its stats were switched around due to Super Crashbug. Nevertheless it took part in the battle phase and slowly made its way towards Biance's demon. "Oh I see what you are planning! Trying to destroy my Super Crashbug eh? Well it wont work!" Bianca flipped her trap card, Mirror Force. The attacking statue was blown up by its own reflected attack. "Did you really think I did not have any protection for my monster?" The field was empty again, for a second. "No. I did not." Only for Ann to fill it again, by summoning a new trap monster. "Whatwhatwhat?" The second flipped trap opened a cage and a ghostly black cat was set free. "Quantum Cat!?" The cat was summoned as a normal monster, and could take any type and element it wished to. That power was largely irrelevant to the current duel, what mattered was that it(4/2200/0) had enough attackpoints. In this case Ann chose a light-attribute and a fairy-type.

"So you're gonna destroy my one monster? Big deal I.." Bianca chided her opponent right up until the damage step. She sang a different tune then when Anna flipped her remaining two trap cards during that step. "Uh.." The traps were Unbreakable Spirit and Ebon Arrow. The first added the attackpoints of the weakest opposing monster to Quantum Cat(7300/0). As Biance's two monsters had equal attackpoints, it did not matter what monster Ann chose to copy. The second trap then took away 500 attackpoints from the Cat(6800/0), but allowed it to inflict piercing damage in return. "Gah!" The cat scratched through the Super Crashbug and took away 6800 of Bianca's lifepoints. If that had been it, Bianca would have been fine with it. "Wait. No!" Sadly, for her, Ebon Arrow also inflicted damage equal to the original defense points of any monster destroyed by this battle. "Gahhh!" 3000 lifepoints were demanded from Bianca, and she could not handle the cost. Defeat was hers, in one turn even. That would mean a lot of DP for Ann and a great loss of DP for her. "You little.. you.. Gah! Is kicking duelists down into the ground the only thing you come out for?"

Bianca's LP: 0

"No. I simply feel better.. knowing that I can win as I am now. I wish you luck, Bianca" She smirked and walked off, she had played enough today.

"Ann." Azar decided now was the time to approach her again. "You followed me." The look of satisfaction that had been written on her face disappeared right as she spotted him. "Your mother told me where to find you. Ann, why did you leave all of the sudden? If I said anything inappropriate, I apologize. I did not mean anything by it..." A long pause followed. Ann was not taking this moment to speak up. She wanted him to keep talking. "I had to dig up the past. Because I think it is not settled yet."

"It is for me." She replied roughly. "I am no longer the person who can tell you what you need to know. She is gone.. that thing is gone. See for yourself." The thing she referred to was a card unlike any other. To prove that she no longer had that it, she showed off her entire deck to Azar. There was no 'Numberless' in there. "I understand that. Yet you still have the same deck as before. The same as Ne.." Yes, Anns playing style had changed slightly and more trap monsters had been inserted. Nevertheless the core was the same. "Don't you use that name!" Ann cut him off again. Her anger came to the surface. "That name is a lie. That was 'it' messing with my mind. You want to know what it was like? It made me think only about 'her', made me love only 'her'. Just like Chaos, it used someone to get what it wanted. The End is gone, Chaos is gone. They are all gone. I am with my family again, and I am happy. I do not know what you are dreaming, but that is what they are.. dreams. Just leave them alone and start living!"

"...Like Chaos?"

"What? Of all that Ann uttered, Azar had only focused on a name. "You said you were just like Chaos. You mean.. Chaos was inside a human host too?" She had outright claimed something that no other had ever assumed. Chaos had always been taken for a formless viral entity, one that could infect many humans but never took a specific body of its own. "That's not what I said." Ann nervously tried to deny it. "You know something, more than the rest do. What is.. Wait!?" He cringed when he realized something he should have picked up on immediately. "Your Number? Which is it?"

"My..Number?" Ann retracted her D-pad. She was too late, Azar had already seen that there was no Number card in the extra deck. "I.. I do not. Where is yours?" She tried to deflect the accusation. "You are..." Perhaps she was more like Azar than she was willing to admit. "Leave!" But she had had enough of him. "If you know what is good for you, leave now! Find your Number, accept it! Or.." Ann placed her hands in front of her mouth. "I've said too much..I.." Just like the last time, she abruptly walked away from Azar and left him with in the dark._ "She is affraid. What.. what is she not telling me? Did she try to warn me about something? What could scare someone like her?"_

...

In the end that detour delivered little to no information. Ann definitely was keeping secrets, Azar just did not think he could get them out of her now. Not all was lost at least. There was one more lead to follow up on. Nothing online could help him find out more about the Numbers, and the world before the Numbers were discovered. Books had to carry the answer. There were several libraries in this city, and he would check each one. Of course there were some difficulties. Most of them did not even carry physical books anymore. Everything was digital, either scanned in from older prints, or stored as word files from conception. You could have a book printed out and made for you, if you were old fashioned. But with the new laws in place, to minimize deforestation, paper had become an expensive commodity. Pads were actually cheaper than notebooks. It did not matter; if the source was the computer it could not be trusted. Data or scans could both be tampered with. Azar needed to find real books, from before the 21st century.

Luckily he eventually came across a musty old-time bookshop, which he only found by chance. Each city had one he figured and this city was no different. It was not listed anywhere on the web. He entered it and the shopkeeper allowed him to look around._ "Interesting." _Most of the stuff were novels; romance and fantasy and all that stuff. _"Is there a mythology section?" _He kept thinking the Numbers being tied to the original Pandora story meant something. If he could find a book that covered ancient greek myths like hers, who knew truths were hidden inside them. Unfortunately he could not find that kind of material. _"Tch. Too good to be true."_ It was a small shop after all. There could still be something valuable elsewhere. Though he was running out of time, he could not run through all the pages here.

"!?"

A creaking noise echoed across the shadowy bookstore. "Someone is there?" Azar did not see anyone, not even the owner. _"Am I the one who is followed now? Maybe.." _He had a flash of inspiration, and dropped one of the large books on the dusty floor. "What!?" As the dust travelled upwards and in every direction, a figure became visible as a void in between the particles. "Who are you?"

"Nice trick, Helder. I will need to compensate for dust next time.." The voice replied. The figure stayed unseen, but the speaker sounded familiar. "You know me?" Azar took a step back. "I have been following you for quite a while. And yes I know you, Azar Helder." Finally the invisible man revealed himself, revealed his black hair, auburn eyes and aloof expression. "And you know me."

It was Dakar Serin.

(To be Continued in Cipher 5: No Room for Shadows Anymore)

**New Cards used by Ann Carpenter  
**Typhoon  
Quantum Cat  
Unbreakable Spirit

**Cards used by Bianca  
**Crashbug X  
Crashbug Y  
Crashbug Z  
Super Crashbug  
_Number 41: Gravity Glutton_

-  
Double Summon  
_The Forbidden Second_

-  
Mirror Force


	6. (Cipher 171): No More Room for Shadows

**(Cipher 171) 5: ****No Room for Shadows Anymore**

"Yaow!" Shin shrieked, as his head dropped on his desk, after the arm on which he rested it fell out underneath it. "Ahhh.." He rubbed his sore chin. Before he was having the wildest dreams, terrifying fantasies that chased him out of his sleep. "Mister Artega. Is the lecture boring you?" Now he was back in the classroom, where half of his classmates were snickering and trying to control their laughter, Natasha was burying her head in her hair out of embarrassment, and the teacher was looking at him with disapproval. "No sir. I am sorry. Didn't get much sleep last night." Shin managed to talk his way out of it. The teacher allowed it this one time. _"Whew. Too close.."_ However as the class continued, Shin remembered why he dozed off in the first place. The dreams he had while sleeping were just far more interesting. It was odd though, how Azar kept showing up in them. In the last one he was fighting Dakar for some reason. _"Oh well."_ Shin shrugged. His imagination was just getting the better of him.

...

"Dakar!?" Of all the possible ways to meet an old friend again, the one that took place was the one Azar could never have expected. Here and now Ariels older brother stood. "Why.." This was no chance meeting. Dakar was here for him and had been hiding up until this very moment. "Why did you follow me?"

"You do not seem surprised to see me appear out of nowhere." Dakar had one hand in his pocket, holding an object. "Your Number." Azar could tell what it was, which amazed Dakar in turn. "Oh. That is a perfect guess." He took a card out of his pocket. "It is My Number; the 104th." Umbral Horror Masquerade was another one of a kind. Azar remembered what kind of power it held, the power to disguise oneself as anything they wished by manipulating light and energy around them. The illusions could even make on invisible and untraceable by any of the six senses. They could _not_ make the body disappear as well, dust and smoke would give them away if they were outside the illusion. "But you did not answer my question, Dakar." Azar reminded Dakar.

"I did not. I suppose I owe you that at least, Helder. If you are still yourself." Dakar took more cards out from a bag he carried with him. "If I am me?" Dakars words might as well have been spoken in another language. His actions on the other hand were easily translated.. "You are challenging me?" If Dakar had a deck prepared, a duel could not be far away. "I am, and I apologize about that, Azar. It is something I have to do. This is my sworn duty as one of the Seven." Dakar inserted his Number into the extra deck. "I came to this city, warped here. Someone like me can travel much faster than normal humans, with the power of this Number. And yes I walked in your footsteps here. I was watching you because I was hoping they were wrong about you. They werent." He placed one hand on his elbow and pulled it back, making a D-pad appear in the path of his arm. It was not the standard model, it was a sharp sectioned model made from crystal. "You have lost your connection with your Number." Dakar pointed a finger at Azar. "I am going to mend it." A beeping sound came from Azars case, his own Dueling Pad had been activated and received an official challenge from Dakar. This was not the kind of invitation you could walk away from. "Please don't run or call for help. Nobody can see us or hear us, Masquerade made sure of that. And I have created a barrier to keep people outside." Dakar had not lifted his cloak of invisibility, he had pulled Azar in with him.

Azars LP: 8000 Dakars LP: 8000

"They? The seven of you? You mean.. the Overhundred Numbers?" This scenario started to remind Azar of the dreams he had experienced. In particular this resembled the duel Ion had forced upon another. Now Azar was in Ike's shoes. "Since when have you had this duty? Who gave you the order to track me? Why are you doing this?" This was a side he had never seen or heard of Dakar before. Shin and Azar had spoken a lot, Shin surely would have mentioned this activity of Dakar if he had known about it. It was not just Dakar either. Ariel and Subito were implicitly part of this as well, going by Dakars words. Then there was barrier technology just like what the agency had used? "It was something we kept a secret from you and others. We did not want to spread fear and panic. You are not the first that this has happened too." Dakar took the first turn. "Every month, we get word of a person like you, and we track them.. and confront them if we need to. Last day we received a call about you." He placed a monster face down and a trap card. "If what happens to these people is more severe than even we can handle, we let our higher ups take them. I wish we wont need to go that far for you."

"That what has happened to me? Tell me!" Azar was tired of vague answers. If he had to duel, he would need to know why.

"You are infected by Chaos."

"Chaos!? Me?" This was what they were thinking of him? "You think I'm.." He did not even humor that theory, let alone seriously consider it. "This is a mistake. I am not possessed, Dakar. I am your friend and I am still the duelist I have always been!" As if to back up his statement, Azar started playing his cards in rapid succession. He normal summoned the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit(1700/900). "They all say that. Just because they use the same cards, does not mean anything if they do not use their Number as well. The decay of your bond has already begun, hasn't it?"

"That does not mean I have changed, that I am infected! What I have felt is the opposite, the entire world has changed!" Azar activated a normal spell card next. "Dragon Shrine! I send one dragon from my deck to the graveyard!" Azars spell sent an Alexandrite Dragon into the graveyard. "If that dragon was a normal-type monster, Dragon Shrine can send another!" The second sent card was Eclipse Wyvern. "When Eclipse Wyvern is sent to the grave, I can banish one highlevel light or dark dragon from my deck. I choose Limit Dragon Schwarzschild!" Azar followed through with the eclipsing effect and then played one more monster from his hand. "By banishing two dragons, one normal-type and one light-elemental, I can special summon the Hieratic Dragon of Asar from my hand!" The afterlife god visited the land of the living by consuming the spirits of Eclipse Wyvern and Alexandrite Dragon, and He took the form of a green-energy dragon(4/2600/700) with a feathered crown. "When Eclipse Wyvern is banished, the monster it had banished is added to my hand." Azar placed the Schwarzschild dragon in his hand.

"Dakar, if I have to prove my innocense by defeating you, I will! I declare an attack!" Azar meditated on Dakars set monster briefly. If Dakar was still using Gravekeepers, its defense could be very high. "Asar targets your set monster!" Azar did not want to waste an attack and used his strongest monster first. Asar threw a bolt of green necrotic energy at Dakars defending monster. The monster that died though, had a flip effect. "You killed Gravekeepers Guard. When flipped, it returns one monster back to a players hand." Before destruction had claimed the bald grave-guardian(4/1000/1900), he had lashed out with his staff and forced Nuit off the field. "But Nuit summons a normal-type dragon monster, when it is targeted by an effect!" As Azar took back the lowlevel Hieratic, he used its ability to special summon Hieratic Dragon of the Sun Dragon Overlord(8/0/0) in defense mode. However he could do little else. "I end my turn."

"You would be arguing against seven billion people by calling the world insane, Azar. Though I at least have changed a little. I have something most humans do not." Dakar held off his drawphase, and looked Azar in the eye. "I used to be carefree, I used to think I could be anything. I did not think I would be..like this." The top card of his deck began to glow. "That's..the Seventh One?" It was the same light that Azar had seen in his dreams, when Ion drew it. "You..know about this card?" Dakas hand froze. "...Of course. Chaos told you." Dakar moved his hand again and pulled the card out with one swift motion. "You remember why the seven exist, dont you? When Chaos came to threaten the Numbers, seven new Numbers were created to combat Chaos! I was chosen as one of its hosts! And then, when the agency managed to contain the power of Chaos.. this spell was given to us! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" The spell he had kept revealed in his hand until his main phase could now be activated.

"You activate it? But no Number is in your graveyard!" Azar gasped. The summoning conditions were different from his dream! "The Seventh One does not just summon from the graveyard, Azar! It can special summon a Chaos Overhundred Number from the extra deck too!" Once again Azar witnessed instant chaos evolution. This time it was his personal horror to overcome, and this was no nightmare. Dakars Overhundred Number appeared and evolved. "I take Number 104: Masquerade and rank it up into Chaosnumber 104: Umbral Horror Masquerade!" A devilish jester(5/3000/1500) with a red cape of tendrils emerged, absorbing its original number form as an Xyz-material. "Azar. That you have seen this spell before means that you can see what Chaos has seen. It is feeding you_ its _knowledge. Chaos knows about every Number that has been given a chaotic form. We may have mastered the power of chaos evolution, but we can not control Chaos itself." Dakar explained as he went on to normal summon Gravekeepers Cannonholder(4/1400/1200) from his hand. "It is trying to deceive you Azar, the dreams are clouding your mind and making you suspect your own Number. Only the power of Chaosnumbers can eradicate Chaos, like I will do for you!" Masquerade twirled its cane and hit Hieratic Dragon of Asar with the lower tip.

Azars LP: 7600

"I do not believe you!" Azar responded by activating his monsters ability. "By tributing a Hieratic Dragon, Asar can negate its own destruction!" The Umbral magicians staff passed through the Underworld god dragon, who had devoured the Hieratic SunDragon Seal to make its body turn to a green vapor. "Believe this then! Once a turn Umbral Horror Masquerade can negate a monsters face-up effect, if it has Number 104 attached to itself!"Dakar detached Number 104 from Number C104 to use its power. "Asars power is blocked, and it dies!" The attack continued. Even with the Hieratic Seal sacrificed, Asar became corporeal again and died to Masquerade's attack. "Then Masquerade takes one random card from your hand and half your lifepoints away!" Chaos energy radiated from the tip of the Umbral Horrors staff, and that light flashed across the library. "Ahhhh!" In one heartbeat, Azar had lost 3800 more lifepoints, and Schwarzschild Limit Dragon was discarded from his hand.

Azars LP: 3800

"One more, Azar. Gravekeepers Cannonholder attacks directly." Dakars other monster fired a shot from its shoulder cannon, hitting Azar in the gut. "Hrgh." Azar doubled over in pain. Pain like this, from a real physical battle, he had not felt in months. "This is the way it is done." Dakar was also wincing and visibly uncomfortable with what he was doing. "If Chaos remains, the world as we know it will go under. It almost happened once, we can not let it happen again." He placed another trap card down and let the turn end. "You ask me who this mission came from. Who else could it have been, Azar? The one who made these Numbers, who made these spells, who trained Ann. It was all Kapha."

Azars LP: 2400

"Kapha?" Azar knew that name, he could never forget that name. "Is that where you put your faith? Is that where I am supposed to put mine?" The dreams had another story, one that became harder and harder to remember. "No. I do not want to.." Azar drew his card and placed it on the field. It was the Lord of D.(4/1200/1100), the Lady of D's male counterpart. "..I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon! Because I control the Lord of Dragons, I can special summon two dragons from my hand!" Azar activated his spell to summon Rabidragon(2950/2450) and Darkstorm Dragon(8/2700/2500). "This is not about Faith, mine or yours. It is about peace, Azar! Kapha is the one who gave us peace, Chaos is the one who will tear it away! You know what you must do!" There were two level 8 materials, exactly what Azars number required. "Even if it is not in your extra deck, it will come for you if you will it. Only a Number can destroy a Number"

"I will not.. do as you say!" Azar refused. "I set a card, and then I banish a light-type monster from my graveyard to special summon Wyverburster the White Dragon!" A white spark floated down and exploded, destroying the remains of Scharzschild the Limit Dragon. From that outburst came a pure-white wyvern(4/1800/1700). "..Your monsters effect activated on the field, Azar. And my Number is not yet stripped of its powers! I activate two of my two traps! First Greed Pact!" Dakars trap made him draw a card. "!" Azar had to draw as well. And then I activate Separate Ways! I can discard a card from my hand to reactivate the effect of my Xyz-monster! Even though it does not have Number 104 attached to itself!"

_Greed Pact, Normal Trap  
__Both players draw 1 card._

_Separate Ways, Continuous Trap  
Once per turn, either player can discard 1 card to activate the effect of a monster they control, instead of paying the cost for that card and regardless of the activation requirements. Destroy this card during your next standby phase._

As Wyverburster was summoned a card was discarded from Dakars hand. "You are only causing yourself more pain by resisting." The magician erupted with chaos forces once more, and captured Wyverburster within it. Though its power was negated, it stayed on the field. Azar was far less fortunate. The card he had drawn through Pact of Greed was now forced out of his hand, and his life was halved yet again. "Nghah!" He lost even more strength, and started to breathe more erratically. "You can stop this, right now. Azar, please, summon _it_. It will expel Chaos and all of its corruption from your body! I will not need to finish off your lifepoints!"

Azars LP: 1200

"Draggluon.." It had returned, the desire to be with his Number. Azars urge was stronger than it had been before, or perhaps he had less strength to resist now. The damage from that Overhundred Number was simply too much for his body. He was out of breath, everything hurt. Azar simply wanted to lay down and rest and forget it all. The Number could heal him, the Number would take away the pain. That is what they always did. _"Chaos.."_ Still he clung to his resistance and will, the world around him grew dark while he focused on his thoughts. There was an underlying thread in everything he knew, a buried truth. The things Dakar said, the things Ann said_.. "The dreams are not illusions, they are memories.. Chaos' memories. Chaos was not just a being from another world.. Chaos was human. He had a single host.."_ His eyelids were too heavy, he could not stay up for much longer. _"I..was"_ He never did call for his Number, even as the last shred of willpower evaporated and the body collapsed into a state of unconsciousness. "Azar!" Dakar cried out. This was not was supposed to happen!

**_"I was Chaos."_**

"What in gods name." Dakar staggered as he felt a pulse of energy going through his own body. The world around him turned dark. "What are you doing?" He did not see Azar move, not anymore. Another 'thing' moved; crawling out of Azars shadow. "You.. you're not possessed by Chaos! You_ are _Chaos" Dakar felt like he could throw up, this entity gave off an overwhelming repugnant aura. The entire library had been painted black by his power. **"We were.." **The voice that came out of the body was still Azars. Only now he spoke without weight, without hesitation. **"So were you." **_It_ opened its eyes, which were filled with light. "What did you say? That's a lie!" Dakar shouted, swinging his arm defiantly. **"You had it wrong all along, Dakar. The lie was not told to me, it was told to you." **'Azar' took two of his cards, his two level 4 monsters.** "Chaos and me were once one.. we had become more than the thing you fear. We became The Light, inseparable. Now our power is limited. We will have to make due with the shadows.**

**"I Xyz-summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"**

Lord of D. and Wyverburster were overlayed and turned into a rank 4 monster, a dragon(4/2500/2000) of dark colors and blades on its arms. "Dark Rebellion?" Dakar did not know of this card, it had not existed until just now. _"The power to create new cards."_ This was something Chaos had accomplished before.** "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon can detach both materials, to steal half the strength of any monster!" **Plates on the dragons wings slid open and to channel lightning between both ends. The lightning paralyzed Umbral Horror Masquerade(1500/1500) and added its stolen attackpoints to the XYZ Dragon(4000/1500). "But it is still not a Number. It can not destroy Masquerade!" Dakar could take whatever damage Azar could dish out.

**"It is true, Dakar; your Number is stronger than any force I can gather. But.. There are other ways to win. ****The Numbers are immortal, but you are not." **Azar flipped his face-down spell card: Hieratic Seal of Convocation. He used it to add a Hieratic monster from his deck to his hand. **"Your trap card. Its powers work on both duelists. Even if my Xyz monster has no materials left, It may activate Its effect."** The Hieratic card was immediately discarded, to pay the cost for Separate Ways. "!?" Dakars Chaosnumber(750/1500) now only had a quarter of its original power left. The rest was given to Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon(4750/2000). **"Dakar. Just like the first time, when Chaos absolved you of your duty, I shall now free you and your Number.."** Azar entered the battle phase. Rabidragon, Darkstorm Dragon and Dark Rebellion Dragon all unleashed their dragonic fury on the weakened Umbral Horror. "No.. Ariel. I failed you." Dakar closed his eyes and let the attack damage wear him down.

**"I shall free you from the lies, from Kapha.. and Pandora!"**

Dakars LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher 6: The Great Fable)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Asar  
Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon

-  
Flute of Summoning Dragon

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Cannonholder

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One

_-  
Greed Pact (+)  
Separate Ways_

_(+ Based on the Trap used in Yugioh GX)_


	7. (Cipher 172): The Great Fable

**(Cipher 172) 6: The Great Fable**

_Dakar had been beaten, pushed further down into the darkness. A black sea that suffocated lights of all colors was all one could see. "Azar?" His opponent waited at the center of the shadows. "Where am I?" This place was not a part of the physical world, it had not been for quite some time. "You should be able to recognize this place. It is your subconscious. This is where you and Chaos spoke when you were its partner." Azar answered without speaking. This was Dakars mind, thoughts traveled directly. "My subconscious? Why did you take me there? For that matter, how are you here?" Dakar wanted to wake up, but he could not. He was trapped in here. "Dakar, I am not here as your enemy, but as your friend. The reason I brought you here.. is so It can not find us."_

_"It? What are you talking about?" _

_"You know that already, It just made you forget. I can not tell you. Only by finding the name yourself, will you accept it as reality." Azar was confident that this was enough. He needed to plant a seed, and Dakar would see through the fog of confusion on his own. The 'It' he spoke of was the eight of all Numbers; Pandora._

Azars had the most important memory again; he had been Chaos. He had been the human to permanently bond with the entity from the other world. They had grown into more than a force of corruption, they had become The Light. Nothing could change that. Yet they would not have been reunited, had it not been for the mind. Azar had been so certain of deception and always questioning of the world around him. Only because of the way he was could he have resisted the calling of the Numbers this long.

All that had been forgotten after the fall made its way back to him. The true enemy of the world were the Numbers and the Catalysts. The Numbers were forced upon mankind, to change them into immortal yet unfeeling beings and to absorb them into the collective consciousness of the infinite dimension. Chaos came from that dimension, but so did they. Then there were Nine humans who had permanently bonded with Numbers, to guide the Numbers to their hosts. They were the Catalysts. In the end all but two had been stopped; destroyed or subdued. But 'she' had remained; the artificial human Esther who bonded with the Eight Number and became Pandora. Kapha and It were who took over the Number invasion and pushed it into a new stage. Azar, even after he fused with Chaos and Terminus and the other remaining Catalyst at his side, failed to defeat her in a duel. The fate of the assisting catalysts was one memory that could not be recovered.

What he did remember was that with his last strength he had closed the portal between her world and his, sealing them both on this side. The Eight could not do to the infinite dimension what she would do to the third dimension. Nor could Pandora destroy the power that was given to him by the blessing of Terminus. It could only erase his memories of that power and keep his thoughts suppressed through the Number 46. With The Light out of the way, The Eight was free to spread the Numbers among the people.

This was why, when Azar reconnected with Chaos and Terminus, it could only be done in his dreams. Pandora was the eight but also the infinite Number. It could access the minds and powers of any other Number in existence. Right now every human on the planet had a Number, thanks to It. There was no safe mind. But this was where the difference between Chaos and the Order of the Numbers mattered. Numbers acted on the surfacing urges, Chaos acted on the buried desires. That fact would be instrumental to his next few moves.

_"Dakar.. when we are awake, the Numbers control us, influence our thoughts. But when we sleep, when I dream.. they are powerless. You gave me the final push I needed to find the most important memory that he had forgotten. Now I am returning the favor."Dakars deepest desires were unlocked, he would be able to see the truth behind the lies soon too. "You might even have established this mental link on your own, had your ties with Chaos been stronger. Or had your perspective been more critical. Perhaps you enjoyed your new role too much to question it." Chaos remembered Dakars thoughts well. He enjoyed pretending to be someone he was not. __"But for now, Dakar, I am affraid you will not remember any of this while you are awake. I can not let It know that I have returned yet." Azars hands were suddenly around Dakars head._

_"What are you doing?" He shouted and struggled. He struggled in vain, in this world he was powerless. "Changing the past. People will know you were defeated, I need to change the how." Azar forged fake memories and planted them in Dakars head. He would not remember Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. He would think Azar had summoned Draggluon and Kachi Kochi Dragon instead and defeated him overwhelming attacks, including a suicidal take-down from Number 46 against Number C104. "How can you.." Azar was actually doing this, Dakar could not even remember the actual end of the duel anymore. "As Chaos I could make people forget or remember me. Even in my weakened state, I kept this ability. You will even remember that Azar is cured..and leave me be." The shadows started to shrivel, Dakar was making his way back into the waking world. "Azar. Why are you doing this? How can you go against the Numbers? They have done so much good!" He cried out right before all faded away. What he heard in response was not kept._

_"Because.. they are not the ones doing 'good'. This is not peace..."_

"Dakar?"

"Ngh!" With a jolt, Dakar rose. A young girl with long black hair and rectangular glasses sat next to him. "...Ariel?" It was his sister. This was the backyard of their own house. "Are you hurt? You showed up here, out of the blue." She helped him get back up. "Yeah I..I jumped back here.. to regain my strength." He was strong enough now to stand on his own feet. "Regain your strength? Then.. you lost?" Ariel knew where he had gone, and why. She was one of the Seven as well, their duties were shared even if their tasks were separate. The only way they could be weakened, was if they or their Numbers were beaten in a duel. "He destroyed my Number, and then he took out my lifepoints. I did not expect that. But you don't need to worry, he did summon Draggluon to do it." Dakar remembered it one way now. "Kapha was wrong about Azar, he is still connected to his Number. He must have just been curious about how Ann was doing. Azar will not remember a thing. I left after turning invisible again, Azar will just believe he had fallen asleep in the library." That was the past his conscious mind accepted. Dakar had lost the duel but accomplished the mission. This fake memory was so powerful, he could recall the finest detail.

"I do not know.." His sister was nevertheless not convinced. "What do you mean?" Dakar asked her. He began to feel anxious and could not tell why. "I want to be certain. Kapha told us that Azar may be affected by Chaos, he has never been wrong about it before." She looked at her brother. "I worry about you too." Ariel placed her hand on his cheek. "About me? You think I may be affected now too?" He flinched as he brushed her hand aside. "Azar reacted just like anyone else we investigated. I saw it with my own eyes!" He was not being manipulated by Chaos, there was no way. "Maybe Chaos is learning, Dakar. These cases happen more often. He could be using what we know against us." Ariel and her brother were basically using Chaos' power to contain it. It would not beyond her expectations if Chaos was taking advantage of what it had seen through the eyes of their chaosnumbers. Chaos could already know how to 'play dead' inside a victim after all the times it had really been extracted. She did not know how right she was. "I just want you to be honest with me, Dakar."

"I am, Ariel. I will never lie to you. We just have to wait. As soon as I regain my full power I will return to observe Azar. Will that make you feel better?" Dakar relented. If it could put his sisters mind at ease, he would do it. He would do anything. "Yes. Thank you. But.." Ariels eyes turned away. "I do not know that will not be enough. Azar was in contact with others recently.. I want to do an investigation of my own." As much as she trusted Kapha, she trusted her own fears more.

...

He was the only one now, who could see the truth. The others were told something else. To them the Numbers were the most natural thing in the world. They had forgotten who they were before the Numbers, that they existed before the Numbers invaded. Pandora had seen to that. Not only had It altered the memories of every human with a Number, It had rewritten the past. The Esther-part of It was the most advanced artificial intelligence system ever created. In this modernized world it would be an easy trick for such an AI to control the flow of information on the net and hide any physical evidence of the truth. All old books were burned away, only the useless were kept. Every other 'artifact' could be explained away by the fact that the Numbers were not 'discovered' until the 21st century. Religion and science simply worked around it, and found their own answers. But it was even more insipid than that. Logically people would throw questions around, poke holes in the cover. No lie on this scale could persist..

Unless It made them look elsewhere. Pandora was in everyone's head. And up until a moment ago, in Azars as well. Every time he started to secondguess the world around him, It made him snap back to the fake reality. If that did not work, It would create a distraction like a surprise visit from an old friend. Shin probably did not even know that that was not his own idea. Every note he made, the AI made sure to delete in the mean time. Who knew what would have happened had Azar actually used his Number that duel? The Numbers apparently strengthened her hold over the host. The more you used them, the more you were tamed. They were addictive, of course they were. The Numbers could heal injury, relieve pain, clear ones mind and strengthen ones body. Every person on the world was driven to use them in some way. And if you even thought about going against her, It would send her Seven servants after you. Azar doubted Kapha even existed anymore at this point. Dakar and the others knew more, but they were just as much under Pandora's thumb as the others.

Azar still was as well, in a certain way. Pandora would realize his powers had returned if he came to the surface of his mind. That was why he let his conscious self control his body right now. Right now, as he took the train back home, Azar was not projecting such troubled thoughts. He had split a section of his mind away and fed it fake memories as well. Azar had masked his true nature with it. Until he was ready to fight back, he would have to keep Number 46: Dragluon. Pandora would be able to see it in his D-pad and it could still see where he was going; either through his ticket purchases or through the eyes of any passenger. It would hopefully just assume that Dakar had succeeded in 'curing' him and not realize he had become immune to her. Dakar alone had seen their duel, his invisibility cloak had warded of other prying eyes.

_"Pandora. You are out there, everywhere."_

Azar needed to move with care. One slip up, and he would lose everything. Back home he could put his body to rest and take a subconscious form once more. He had only beaten Dakar with the element of surprise, he would not be as lucky against the remaining 6 billion souls. He did not know how the Seven got their orders. He did not know where the Agency was right now or where they took their 'special cases'. Dakars memories told him nothing about that. His best chance at stopping all of this was finding Pandora itself..

...

"Its not like you to fall asleep in class. Is it? Should I worry about that too now?" Natasha had a lot of things to say after school, of course. "No.. and thanks, I think." Shin could tell she was annoyed and concerned. "I have never seen you do it either." Sky stuck up for him as well. He formed the third part of their afterschool group. Natasha had basically made them her new friends after Lucy and Mia moved out. "No. Its nothing. I just stayed up too late yesterday. I really didnt get much sleep this weekend. It didn't help that Economy is not my favorite subject." Shin shuddered. He barely remembered what he learned that hour. That was what he had Natasha for. "Well I made note of what you need to do for homework, and if you need any help, I am here." Natasha might not have been a 'genius' like Azar, whose absence was clearly not helping Shins grades. Still she liked to think she was good enough. She was certainly better at studying than Shin was. "You just need to focus, Shin. This is the final schoolyear, your final.." Sky had some advice of his own.

"Ariel?" But he stopped talking when he saw Ariel from the corner of his eye. "Huh?" The three of them turned to face her. "What are you doing here? School is over, right?" Nowadays, Ariel and them barely shared classes at all. Even with that taken into account, Natasha did not think Ariel was here for school business. "It is. I wanted to see _you_, and I knew you'd be here." She told them. "Ariel, I.." Sky tried to talk back to her. Ariel did not listen. "I am sorry Sky. I mean I wanted to speak to Shin.. about something." She was not ignoring the fact Sky had once declared his love for her. She simply had never returned the feeling. Moreover, she and Dakar had grown more distant from the rest of the gang once the Chaos wars concluded. So this encounter was a rare occasion. "Its about Azar. I heard you saw him this Saterday."

"Yeah? Do you want to know how he is doing?" Shin saw nothing off about her interest in Azar. "I do. Not here. Lets go to the pool."

The four entered the school pool hall, it was usually open but vacant in the immediate hours after school. They were all alone, and Shin was free to tell Ariel exactly what he had done at Azars place. He included his duel, the fact that Azar had not summoned his Number and that he seemed sorta paranoid about something. "He worries about something? I think you should have told us this sooner." Unlike Shin, Sky felt this revelation had a weight to it. Azar had always been blessed with an acute sense of observation. "Well he isn't really a daydreamer. But it still sounds farfetched to think these nightmares are something more than that." Natasha was leaning more on Shins side. Shin himself however started to reconsider his stance. "Daydreams.." What was happening to Azar seemed more like something he would experience. And he had, today! "When I fell asleep in class, I had a dream too. And I wasnt even out that long.." He muttered to himself, wondering what it could mean out loud.

"...You too?" Ariel had been listening patiently with her arms folded. Shins words made her break her silence. "Shin. I.. I thought I could to this." She sighed deeply and unfolded her arms. "Ariel?" Her next action shocked them all. "I can not lie to you, or keep this a secret any longer." She rolled up her sleeve, and allowed a crystal-bladed dueling device to form on her wrist. "What the?" Everyone but Shin took a step back. "Whoa.. is that a D-pad? How did you do that? Is that a trick of your Number?" He seemed more impressed than disturbed. "Of our Numbers. Shin, Sky, Natasha; you remember which Numbers we received didn't you?"

"The overhundred Numbers? Like the one Subito had? But..he told me that he gave it back. That he did not need it anymore." His own brother had said this after Chaos seemed to have been defeated for good. "He lied. We did not give them back. We needed to keep them, because Chaos was never truly defeated." Ariel inserted cards into her crystal disk and let it shift into an active mode. "Shin. I was going to ask you for a duel as a friend. Except that would be a lie as well. I challenge you for a different reason. We fear that Azar has been in contact with Chaos, since before you met him. So I need to duel you now, to make sure that he did not get to you as well."

"Azar is.." Natasha gasped.

"And Chaos is still around?" Sky clenched his hand.

"No. No I dont believe it." And Shin... "Azar can't be.. he is innocent. He is my friend!" He raised his own D-pad to meet her demands. Ariel was not happy, but she was going to go through with this. "I do not want to believe it either, Shin. You can help prove it. The seven of us can tell when there is corruption inside someone. This fight will either confirm you are untouched.. or force it out of you."

...

Elsewhere

_**"It worked."**_Azar had taken an early leave to his room. His sister did not question where she went, and he was not disturbed afterwards. Azar took his place on his bed and closed his eyes. _**"One half sleeps, the other is awake."**_ Azar rose up; not as himself, but as his shadow. In this form he could move freely while leaving an alibi for someone like Camilla. His sister was just like the rest of humanity, an unwilling spy for Pandora. Her eyes would be enough as a witness to innocense. He could travel far distances in the blink of an eye. Yet there was only one place where he wanted to go. **"Where it all started, for her. No.. for It" **If there was any chance left of stopping It, it would have to be at the source; the Quantum Computer that housed the A.I. program. There was a chance It would not be in there anymore, now that Esther had evolved far beyond its original design and even merged with Kapha and the First Number. But there was one thing he could still find there... Its first name; the weakness of all catalysts.

The shadow of Azar stood up, and vanished into the night.

(To be Continued in Cipher 7: Loud and Clear)


	8. (Cipher 173): Loud and Clear

**(Cipher 173) 7: Loud and Clear**

Ariels LP: 8000 Shins LP: 8000

Shin had accepted Ariels duel, to prove his and Azars innocense. She took the first turn. "Depth Shark can be normal summoned without tributes if I control no monsters." Ariel sent a fearsome highlevel deepwater shark(5/1400/0) down into the lowest end of the pool. Then a trap card was placed on her side and her turn was ended. "During your standby phase, its attackpoints are doubled. This will be your first test." Light on the sharks(2800/0) baiting anchor grew stronger as she passed the turn to Shin. "Bring any test on, Ariel! I know what its like to be corrupted by Chaos! You should remember that it happened to me before!" Shin looked to Natasha who then nodded at Ariel. "Natasha saved me then, and I've been clean since! I _will_ prove that."

Shin activated the spell card: Gagaga Academy Emergency Network. Only Ariel controlled monsters, so Shin could special summon a Gagaga monster like Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000) from his deck. After that he normal summoned a new spellcaster, the stylish wave-haired boy in blue and gold robes; Blue Dragon Summoner(4/1500/600). "If my Blue Summoner is sent to the grave, I can add one normal spellcaster monster from my deck to my hand! And to destroy it I use the quickplay spell; Magical Dimension! It sacrifices one magician.." A golden person-shaped coffin lifted itself up and opened. The Blue Dragon spellcaster was sucked inside. Now Shin could activate the tributed Summoners effect. He added the normal-type spellcaster, Trance the Magic Swordsman, to his hand. "And then Magical Dimension summons one spellcaster from my hand, and destroys a monster you control!" The coffin opened, revealing the blonde magical knight(6/2600/200). Trance's first act was diving into water and cleaving the Depth Shark in two neat halves. "Now!" Trance and Gagaga Magician then moved in for the battle phase, circling around the pools edges and hitting Ariel from both sides.

Ariels LP: 3900

"Shin. I did not want to anger you, any of you. What we are doing right now is the only we know how to stop Chaos." Ariel was not hurt by the attack. Shins reactions were what could be so easily brushed off. "Then why the secrecy? I get it in Subito's case, he never tells me much. But I thought you were my friend." Shin asked her as he recalled his monsters. "We could have helped you.." Sky added. "We are friends. They did not want you to get involved. You deserved your normal lives, after everything you did." Ariel could feel their glares, she did not feel good about herself. However, Shin was not cleared yet. "A Normal Life? That's the last thing I want!" Shin moved to the second main phase. He used Gagaga Magicians effect and added two stars to his(6/1500/1000) overall level. "...I Xyz-summon Norito the Moral Leader!" The fan-wielding Shinto priest(6/2700/2000) was summoned from the extra deck by placing Trance on top of Gagaga Magician. "My turn is over."

_"..A monster that negated spell or trap cards."_ Ariel moved her hand on her deck, pausing to consider Norito's effect. _"Does he know?"_ She drew her card, which was just another normal spell. "I summon Starfish, and activate the effect of Shark Stickers in my hand." By summoning a water monster like the red mecha Starfish(3/300/300), the suction shark Shark Stickers(3/200/1000) could special summon itself from Ariels hand. "I overlay them to perform my own Xyz-summons." Her materials were right for an Xyz-monster with half the rank of Shins. Starfish and Shark Stickers sank to the bottom and created a whirlpool. The maelstrom grew and spat out dark-armored and winged merman lancer(3/2100/1200). "Black Ray Lancer. It can negate a monsters effect." Ariel detached one material from Black Ray Lancer, who in turn stabbed Norito with his trident to paralyze it. _"Ugh. Now she can use spells?" _Shin figured Ariel had sealed Norito's power for a reason. "Shin. I can not hold back against you, I am sorry." Ariel activated the spell she had drawn. "I activate Re-Draw, I gain another draw phase."

_Re-Draw, Normal Spell  
__Activate only during your main phase 1. It becomes the draw phase of your turn again.  
__Your opponent can draw twice during his/her next draw phase._

"And I draw Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One." The spell Ariel activated allowed her to gain the Seventh One, even after already using up one draw phase. "What!? Rank-Up?" Shin was not sure what was more incredible, the fact that Ariel had such a card, or that she managed to draw it right when she needed it. "The seven of us have an affinity for this card. We can draw it whenever we desire to." The spell unleashed its force as soon as she moved into her main phase. "I take Number 101: Silent Honor Ark from my extra deck. I use it as an Xyz-material to Xyz-summon Chaosnumber 101: Silent Honor Dark from my deck!" Just like Dakar and Ion before her, she instantly ranked-up her Overhundred Number and brought its chaotic form; the red and black knight(5/2800/1500) to the field. "You all.. have this card?" Natasha had learned a lot about dueling by now. A spell card like this did not exist in the official lists. "It was made for us, by Kapha. He is the one who tells us when Chaos has returned..."

Ariel then turned back to Shin and pointed at Norito. "Dark Knight can absorb a monster, and attach it to himself." She made her Knight take the Moral magician, and placed it underneath the Xyz Monster as a second material. "Gah." Now Shin was wide open. "This may hurt, please brace yourself. The Chaosnumber is the best weapon against the power that evolved it." Ariels battle phase commenced. Her Dark Knight raised his bloodred trident. "Well. I dont think it should hurt me much if I have no chaos inside me. Also!" Shin flipped his trap card. "I dont feel like losing! I activate Nitwit Outwit. I discard one of my monsters and subtract its attackpoints from one of yours!" Shin discarded the Wheel of Prophecy, a spellcaster with 2700 attackpoints. Meaning Ariels Chaosnumber(100/1500) barely had any strength left at all when it hit Shin with its weapon. He barely felt that.

Shins LP: 7900

"...You can not save yourself this way, Shin. The truth will still be the truth." On Ariels command, Black Ray Lancer made his own attack against Shin and knocked him down. That attack hurt about as much as a normal attack from a normal duel monster would. "I know why you are doing this, but you do not have to worry about Azar. We can save him too, if we have not done so already." Ariel activated the spell card, XYZ Gift. As she controlled two Xyz monsters, she could detach 2 materials from them and draw 2 new cards. She detached both of the Dark Knights materials.

Shins LP: 5800

"Already saved? You mean you already dueled him?" Sky asked. "Yes. My brother did. He claims that Azar is free now, that he might not even have been harmed by Chaos. But I am not as sure. And I want to be. Even if he was cured, he could have been infected when he dueled you, Shin." Ariel activated a continuous spell, Different Dimension Deepsea Trench. "Since you weakened my Number, I will have to remove it for now." The water in the pool split into two halves and the Dark knight walked right into the Trench. The water soon closed around Number C101, sealing it in another dimension. Then she placed a trap card and ended her turn. As soon as Shins turn started she flipped that trap; Macrocosm. It was a continuous trap that would banish all cards sent to the graveyard. "Trust me Shin, I want all this uglyness done with.."

"What will that take? When will Chaos leave? How long have you been trying to stop him?" Shin understood her plight, he really did. Yet he also believed she was wrong about him. "Wait..is it.." And he got his own answer. "I see." Shin looked at his hand and formed a plan. He first summoned the ravenhaired sorceress in a hooded green dress; Magical Exemplar(4/1700/1400). "I activate the spell, Magical Spring! I draw a card for each face-up spell or trap you control! But I can not destroy or negate your spells and traps until my next turn!" As she controlled Macrocosm and D.D. Trench, Shin could draw two times. Together with the two cards he had drawn in his draw phase, thanks to Re-Draw, he had plenty of options now.

"I activate Spellbook of Secrets!" His combo began with a spell. Magical Exemplar would gain two spellcounters each time Shin activated a spell card, she already had two from Magical Spring. "I can add a Spellbook card to my hand, from my deck!" The Spellbook of Secrets claimed the Spellbook of Eternity. After that, Macrocosm banished the first spellbook. "Then I play Spellbook of Eternity and add a banished Spellbook to my hand again!" The Eternal book opened and dragged the Secrets book back out of the other dimension, in exchange for its own banishment. "Then I activate OneShotWand, and equip it to a spellcaster to give it 800 attackpoints!" The 4th spell was given to Examplar(2500/1400) herself, who had accumulated 8 spellcounters by now. "Magical Exemplar, use your effect! Revive the Wheel of Prophecy!" By sacrificing all 8 of those counters, the sorcereress could special summon a monster with the same amount of level stars from the graveyard. She used her power to resurrect the discarded Wheel of Prophecy; a shield-bearing lion mage(2700/1700) "Wheel of Prophecy can send all banished Spellbooks back into my deck or graveyard!" Shin took the Eternity book and shuffled it into his deck. "Now..attack!" This time he would have to hurt her. Magical Exampler blasted Black Ray Lancer to pieces with her magic, and Wheel of Prophecy knocked Ariel to the ground with his shield.

Ariels LP: 800

"Ariel!" Sky could not hold back a cry of anguish. "No..This is my battle." Ariel moaned, as she saw Sky twitching to move towards her. "Shin. You know what you must do." She said as she crawled back up.

"..Yeah. I know. And I think I can.." Shin used OneShot Wands effect, destroying it after its user did battle, to draw a card from his deck. "I activate Monster Gate!" He immediately activated that card and sacrificed Magical Exemplar(1700/1400). "This spell tributes one monster, and picks up cards from my deck until I can reveal a monster that can be normal summoned. That monster will then be special summoned!" Shin started picking up and revealing cards, and the first monster he found was _that_ card. "I have it. I summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" His brothers own precious dragon(8/3000/2500) flew in through from the Gate. "I will overlay him now!" Galaxy-Eyes was stacked on top of the Wheel of Prophecy, leading to the Xyz-summon of Shins only rank 8 monster. "Number 62.. Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" The Cosmic and Arcane energies collided and created the brilliant primal dragon(8/4000/3000). Its light made the water shine like the sun.

Shins turn ended, after he placed a card down in his spell/trap zone. "Thank you." Ariels expression changed. She was smiling. "This means a lot to me, Shin. It also proves that you are strong, you deserve the dragon your brother gave you. However.." She drew a card. "I still need to see this to an end. Spell card, Storm. I destroy spell and/or trap cards on my field and an equal amount of spells or traps on your side are destroyed." The pool rose up and pulled the water up into a violent typhoon. "I destroy my set trap and Deepsea. Trench, and you set card is destroyed as well!" Two of her cards were swept away, and so was Shins set trap card, Enemy Controller. All three were banished by Macrocosm. "Because the Trench is destroyed, the monster it banished returns to the field." From the bottom of the now emptied pool, the chaotic Dark Knight(2800/1500) emerged, back at full power. "I activate its effect!" Much to Shins dismay, the relentless Silent Honor DARK took Number 62 off the field and absorbed it as an Xyz-material. "Gah." Not even his Prime Dragon could compete with her Chaos Overhundred Number.

"There is more. The set card I destroyed was XYZ Dimension Splash. When that set trap is banished, I may special summon two level 8 water monsters from my deck." Her trap had made a splash in the dimension of Macrocosm, sending ripples into her deck. "I special summon Two Hyper-Ancient Shark Megalodons." The sea of the void released a pair of giant mechanical sharks(8/2900/1300). "Monsters summoned this way can not attack, be tributed or activate their effects. But they can be overlayed." Ariel normal summoned the Saber Shark(4/1600/1200). "I use Saber Sharks effect to reduce my monsters level by 1. And it can use this effect twice!" The blade-nosed shark targeted both Megalodons(7/2900/1300) for this effect. "Xyz-summon.. Mermail Abyssgaios!" One final time the waters converged and brought life to the surface. The two ancient sharks attached themselves to a emperor(7/2800/1600) of the sea, a half man/half seaserpent. "Mermails?" Shin shouted, just before Abyssgaios and Saber Shark bombarded him with high pressure jet streams. "Waahhh!"

Shins LP: 200

"The Mermails, Kincaids Mermails; this is my tribute to him. To the agency that he created and still works to this day." Ariels words revealed just how many were 'involved' in this operation. Kincaid might have passed on during the war, but his work lived on. "Kgh.. You say K-kapha is helping you still, the whole agency is.." Shin stuttered and coughed up some water. "Yes for the sake of harmony. Shin, you can be a part of this too, if you still want" Ariel lowered her arm. "What? But its not over yet, is it?" Natasha opened her eyes again. Though Ariel could easily finish the duel by letting her ChaosNumber attack, she was holding back? "It can be. He summoned his Number and showed no symptons of Chaotic energy infection. I wont have to do to him what Dakar did to Azar. If you surrender now, you will remember this duel and you wont have to suffer again." Either way, she would win. "Shin. I really think you should do it." Natasha nodded her head. She did not want to see Shin get hurt again.

"...!?" Before Shin could even answer her. "I am sorry." Ariel deactivated her D-pad. "Huh? What is wrong, Ariel?!" Sky yelled. But Ariel looked away. "Something came up. I have to be somewhere else, now.." And she vanished, leaving Shin dazed and confused.

"...she can teleport?"

...

Azars shadow arrived where he needed to be and it was left just as he remembered it. The underground facility that contained the original portal to the other dimension, the Hive of Red Moon syndrome victims and Esthers quantum core; this was where it all began. He had about 8 hours to investigate. Anyone at home would see Azar sleeping, and assume nothing was up. One could say he was psychically sleepwalking. In this form, weakened though he might have been, he could go wherever he wanted to be. Azar hovered above metal and phased through walls to reach his goal. It was still there, in the hollowed out chamber that was Kapha's laboratory. It was devoid of activity, no lights were on and no power was coursing through the system. _**"It is as I feared."**_At the bottom stood the massive mainframe, big enough to flatten a truck. It had been shut down. _**"The 'Esther' part of it is not here anymore. However data should still be stored inside."**_Azar placed his hands against the machine, sending energy into it to turn on its power**.**_** "The name before Esther, I will find it." **_Pandora was still a catalyst. Each Catalyst had the same weakness, their non-Number half. Just reminding them of their other past, their birth name, was enough to weaken their power. Even an Artificial life had a designation from conception. If he could drag it out..

"No touching allowed."

**"Gah."** Azar was forced to retract his hands, as a spark of electricity hit him. Someone was here. **"A forcefield... It is you."** A barrier had been placed around Azar, that was what was forcing him back. There was only one duelist who could fashion prisons like these. **"..Xander Carson."** Looking up, Azar spotted the young man on the walkway. He wanted to greet him as a friend, but the identity of Azar had to be kept at a distance. 'Chaos' was what they saw him as, so that was how he would act and sound. "You remember my handiwork.. you honor me, Chaos." Xander smirked and ran his hand across his slicked back hair. "And you have grown. You can talk and walk on your own again." It was self-evident that Azars current shape was not made from flesh and bone, it was just a shadow filled with crimson light. **"You were not expecting that? Then how did you know to find me here?"** Azar had not sensed his presence before and he would have known if a Number had been nearby. Xander could only have warped here only a short while ago, while Azar was focusing on the mainframe. "This place is on our watchlist. You tried to be subtle, but you did not avoid every detector."

**"Is that a fact? So you think you alone are enough to contain me?" **Azar gave the barrier one hard knock, nearly twisting it open. An act that visibly agonized Xander. "You are stronger too. I wager a standard agents barrier would not even keep you for a second. But..I did not think that! Why fight alone when we can fight together?" The Hive started to rumble, and more barriers were placed around the first one. "!" Now that he was not distracted**, **Azar could sense their approach; six more Overhundred Numbers. "We live in various timezones. I was merely the one of the Seven closest to this location. Our method of transportation is fast, but not instantaneous. But dont you worry. They will be here soon." Xander made a formal bow. "Chaos allow me to introduce.. The Seven." Behind him now were six more duelists. They looked like how he remembered them; Ariel and Dakar still together, Rita with the same pink wig and wintercoat. "!" Ion and Claud were there too, alive and well! Claud had definitely died, his Overhundred Number should have been with Ruby. All that was new about him was the fancy victorian outfit he wore. What happened really? Their survival had to be another part of Pandora's elaborate facade. **"The Seven. The humans chosen by the Overhundred Numbers. You have not changed." **

."And neither have you" They had all warped here from the other side of the world and the last to arrive was Subito Artega himself, with his unforgiving dark eyes and long red hair. He stepped to the front. "Chaos. Now that you have shown your true self, we will end you! I.. we will not make the mistake of letting you get away again!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 8: Where Perfection Began)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Blue Dragon Summoner  
Wheel of Prophecy

-  
Magical Spring  
Monster Gate

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Depth Shark  
Mermail Abyssgaios

_-  
Re-Draw  
_Storm

-  
Macrocosm  
XYZ Dimension Splash


	9. (Cipher 174): Where Perfection Began

**(Cipher 174) 8: Where Perfection Began**

The original hosts of Numbers 101 through 107 were present, surrounding Azar from all sides. "We thought we had destroyed you. I thought this was over." Even Ion was here, when he should not have been. **"It was Over, for you."** Azar looked at Ion, and at Rita's partner as well.** "Ion. Claud. The two of you should not be here."** Claud had died at the hands of another Catalyst. That death seemed as good as undone. "What? What are you talking about? What is he talking about?" Comments like those left Claud slightly disturbed. "Nothing. He is talking nonsense, he always does. Don't listen to him." Rita did not seem to be aware of Clauds fate, of course. None of them were. "We should not be talking to him to begin with."

**"This will be your only chance to. Have you never thought to converse with the likes of me?"** The shadow Azar focused his sight on Ariel. If there was one among them who would take the time to get answers, it would be her. "Why should we listen to you? You never change." Of course if there was a leader among them, it was Subito. He felt differently and made that very clear. "No. Wait. He is right. This is the first time.." But Ariel stopped him. She did want to learn more. "He keeps coming back, we need to know more... "Dakar." Ariel gave her brother a brief glance. "Do you still think Azar is unconnected to this?" Dakar had been quiet up until now, as if he was lost in thought. His sisters words snapped him out of this trance. "Y-yes. I watched him until we were called here, he is back at his home. Azar can not be whoever this is."

Ariel nodded, and locked eyes with the shadow and the crimson light that formed its eyes. "Then my question is, Chaos. Who are you? What do you want?"

**"Knowing who or what I am will not ." **As long as they kept believing Azar was not him, they were allowed to assume any identity. **"What I want is different. What I want is the truth. What is the truth? I will tell you."** He turned his head towards Subito. Of all Overhundred Numbers, his was the one that needed to be looked out for the most. **" I am not your enemy. I am not Chaos, anymore. I am a creation of disorder and order.. in balance. I have no interest in taking Numbers now. The people you fought for the last several months were not extensions of me, they were not corrupted. People like Ike.."** Azar glared at Ion, who flinched. "How.." Ion had never told anybody about his solo missions. Chaos could not have heard about Ike from anyone..except Kapha himself. **"..or people like Azar. They resist because the Numbers are not natural to them. The people you dueled were normal. I do not know this because I was responsible for their confusion, I know this because it was my power that you used to subdue them. I know everything you have done in the name of the ChaosNumbers. It was all for a lie. You, the Seven, you have been tricked by the Numbers. By Pandora." **

"Pandora? Why are you talking about fairytales? And why should we believe them? How does this story of your work? We have had the Numbers since the beginning of time." Xander voiced their inability to understand. Azar did not expect them to. He was on the other hand surprised they did not even blink when they heard the name of Pandora. Did it mean nothing to them?

**"That sentence is it, Xander. That is the inverted truth. Humans and Numbers have never coexisted before, they have never been together until it was forced upon them." **It did not matter, it was only necessary that they would remember what he told them. "What? Ridiculous! If that's true, how do you explain how we got this far? The Numbers are what made us human, without them we would not have reason or insight, we would not have invented all this technology, we would have gone extinct millions of years ago!" They would try to poke holes in Azars explanation, as Rita was vehemently doing right now. **"We made it this far because of our own ingenuity, because of our own desires. That is not something the Numbers gave us, that is not something the Numbers can grasp, Rita. They came to us because we had the emotions they lacked. They are parasites who let mankind think that the Numbers were what saved them." **Azar also did not yet know how much the others Numbers were cooperating with Pandora, or if they were even aware that they were being controlled. The Numbers probably only let it happen because they were still enjoying the emotions they could feed on. **"The one behind all of this, behind your duty, is not Kapha. Have any of you ever seen Kapha?" **

"We have heard him talk to us." Dakar admitted that that was as close as they ever got to Kapha. He at least was not sure if that was enough now. "Then who is? Who is this supposed mastermind who deceived us all? Is this the mythical Pandora you are talking about" Subito demanded an answer. His tone made clear that he had not bought a single ounce of what Azar had told them so far.** "Yes. Though you knew her by another name.. Esther; Kapha's artificial intelligence." **Azar gave them the name. "Kapha's A.I? That thing? But that was shut down! Also since when did it have a name?" Ion protested. It seemed that angle of the false reality had been covered up as well. **"The computer has been, but 'she' lives on. Esther had a Number as well, did you know this?"** Seeing as how Azars words stunned them into silence, he guessed they did not. "What? Artificial people cant have Numbers! Anyone knows that!" Claud just laughed it off eventually. **"Nevertheless that is the truth. I have seen what 'she' has done, 'she' has erased her tangible presence from this world. It converted itself to a religious symbol, replacing every other god in people's minds. It might as well be a god. Pandora the giver of hopes, She can hear me right now..."**

"Enough. You have said enough." Ariel interrupted Azar. "You are mad. you are delusional." She did not need or want to hear anymore. "You must be stopped, and we will stop you." She jumped down to the same floor as Azar. The others followed. **"So be it. The duel is the only way to convince you."** Azar punched Xanders barrier once more, and shattered it. "Now don't get any ideas about escaping just because you escaped one prison." Xander scoffed. "If you do not duel, we will use our powers directly." They had enough abilities to trap Chaos again and again. Subito could even stop time if it came to it.** "I do not fear you." **Azars shadowy body extended and created a flat blade for him to place his cards on. **"I will challenge any of you, because I must."**

"Any of us?" Subito clenched his fist. "Who said you would be dueling us one at a time?" He made his crystal D-pad appear on his wrist. And so did Ariel, Dakar, Claud, Rita, Xander and Ion. **"What?" **They intended to duel him seven on one? "You escaped us every time in one-on-one matches. not this time, our combined forces should annihilate you for good. I have dreamed this day would come, and I will not let it slip through my fingers now!" Subito declared as everyone set their lifepoints as a single shared amount and they started to draw their cards. They apparently drew only 2 cards instead of five, but they still held an overwhelming advantage. "That is your challenge, Chaos!"

Chaos' LP: 8000 Sevens LP: 8000

**"You are all.." **Azar had not foreseen this possibility. It was too late to back away from it now.** "Fools!"** He drew his cards and activated two spells. **"Fiends Sanctuary." **His two cards created two metal devil tokens(1/0/0) in attack position. They were immediately sacrificed. **"The Supremacy SUN!"** The mercurial devils were offered to a great shining demon, a pharaoh(8/3000/3000). in sharp black armor. For this duel he would have to wield cards Azar would never have used. The Supreme Sun demon was closer to Terminus' power than Chaos. Not that they noticed or cared. **"Two cards are set down in the spell/trap zone, and my turn ends".**

"Even the color of your deck is still black. How can you say we should trust you, when you love the darkness so clearly?" Ariel placed her hand on her deck. She was not the only one. "Allow me to take the first turn. I _was_ the first to arrive." Xander started pulling his card. And that card began to glow. **"The Seventh One?" **Azar could feel it, Chaos' power was emanating from the top of Xanders deck. "He is not alone." Ariel had that spell waiting too. They all had it on top of their deck! They could control their draws to such an extent? No wonder they allowed Chaos to take the first turn. _**"But they can not attack me in their first turn." **_That was impossible due to two-on-one rules. "Its name is Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" Xander activated his spell. Seventh One took Number 106 from his extra deck and attached it to its next ranked-up form. "I Xyz-summon Chaosnumber 106: Giant Red Hand!" A disembodied magma arm(5/2600/2000) punched through the floor and spread its claws wide.

"I shall take over from here." Subito's punctuality had not changed over time. As soon as Xander ended his turn, he took his Rank Up spell from his deck and activated it. "Show yourself, Chaosnumber 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" He evolved the dark space-time dragon into the majestic threeheaded dragon of gold(8/4500/3000). "Use your power now! Freeze all of time and space!" Subito detached the one material from his chaosnumber and the dragon unleashed its lights of inversion. The effects of all monsters and face-down cards would be negated. "**Fiendish Chain!"** Azar could not let it get that far. He opened one of his traps, to chain down Neo-Tachyon Dragon and depower it. "That is not going to do, not at all." But Xander countered with his card. "Giant Red Hand, negate that card!" By detaching its material, if it was a Number, the Giant Red Hand could seal the effects of all cards on the field. **"But your Number only seals powers for one turn." **Azar would take this setback, if it mean that Subito's Chaosnumber had its effect stopped as well. Now both of their Chaosnumbers were out of materials. But five turns remained.

"Then I suppose it is my turn." Dakar took the third turn. "The Seventh One." It was no longer a surprise, he performed the same spell summon as Subito and Xander and brought out Chaosnumber 104(5/3000/1500) from his deck. "This is your task, Umbral Horror Masquerade! When you are special summoned, you destroy one spell or trap card on the field!" As the Fiendish Chain had already been shut down by Giant Red Hand, the Umbral magician used his wand to smash Azars other trap card into pieces. **"As long as I activate no monster effects, you cannot use yours." **Azar had faced that Chaosnumber once already. He was not worried about it.

"You need to stop talking so much, Chaos! You scare everyone off that way!" Claud followed in Dakars footsteps. With his The Seventh One he Xyz-summoned the blazing knuckle fighter: Battlin Boxer Comet Cestus(5/2800/2000) in a twister of flames. "Its showtime, Chaosnumber 105. Give the villain what he deserves!" Claud detached his Numbers only material. "Destroy his monster, and inflict damage equal to its attackpoints!" The wings on the back of Cestus rose up and fired pure chaos energy at the Supremacy SUN. Not even a demon god of the solar sphere could withstand the forces of the chaotic comet. Azars shadow writhed in the fire, but he felt nothing. **"Pain will not slow me down, Claud." **

Chaos' LP: 5000

Azar discarded the last card, Necro Gardna, from his hand. **"Supremacy SUN revives itself the next turn after its destruction by any reason. Your Number may nott prevent this, Dakar. Its revival began in the graveyard. And now that my hand holds no cards, your Masquerade cannot even halve my lifepoints." **As soon as Claud had ended his turn, the supreme one brought itself back to life. "But I can do this, Chaos!" Dakar revealed a trap he had set; Coffin Seller. "Each time one of your monsters goes to the graveyard, you lose 300 lifepoints! You just lost one to destruction and another as a cost!" His continuous trap inflicted 300 points of damage to Azar, twice. **"Tch. Minor damage, minor inconvenience."**

Chaos' LP: 4400

"You forget one thing, Chaos." Ariel started her turn. In no time at all, Chaosnumber 101: Silent Honor DARK was Xyz-summoned to her field by the Seventh spell, surfacing from the waters underneath the earth. "You no longer tribute summoned that monster." The Dark knight could only use its overlay conversion ability on special summoned monsters. "You special summoned it!" So Supremacy SUN could be attached to Silent Honor DARK, and she was just about to. **"Skill Prisoner."** Only Azar activated a trap card, from his graveyard. **"By banishing this trap from the cemetery, your monsters powers that target my monster are locked for this turn!" **The card that Dakar had destroyed had been of good use after all, against his own sister no less. "You have an answer for everything." Ariel cursed.

"But not enough answers. Not at all." Ion stepped up and performed the Rank-Up process to Xyz-summon Chaosnumber 102: Archfiend Seraph(5/2800/2400). "I dont even have a clue what you were trying to say about me. But I am living and I like to keep on doing that." Ion used the other power that Azar had already seen in his dreams. Archfiend Seraph detached its final material to shoot its arrow into the Supremacy SUN(0/3000) and decharge its attackpoints and effects. At the same time, because the unholy seraph had taken off its last Xyz-material, 1500 points of damage were delivered to Azar. **"I do not know what your fate should be now, Ion. Yet you can not trust the one who returned you to this earth, It was the one who killed you." **Azar shrugged the damage off again, even though his body was starting to lose cohesion.

Chaos' LP: 2900

"No. He has a point. In what world do you live for that to mean anything at all? You_ are _mad!" The final turn was given to Rita. "I will not let you take anyone away, especially not Claud!" And the Chaosnumber she summoned through The Seventh One posed the biggest problem, because it was the only one Azar had never seen before. "Number 103 Ragnazero. Turn into Chaosnumber 103: Ragnafinity and get over here!" The funeral maiden(5/2800/2400) of the subzero world turned dark, her crystal wings transforming into black spikes. "Ion. Thank you for setting this up. Dakar, thanks for the extra damage! I didn't think I would deliver the final blow.. but I will gladly take that honor!" She displayed her trademark cutesy grin and initiated the effect of Ragnafinity. "Chaos! Ragnafinity can inflict damage equal to the difference between your monsters current attackpoints and his new attackpoints. And then that monster is banished!" The chaotic maiden raised her bloodred scythe. **"That is its power?!"** With one swipe, Azars last card was cut down. The scythe left nothing of Supremacy SUN. "Stay gone this time!" Ragnafinity went even further and sliced into Azars shadow**. "You..you have not seen the ..last.. The truth can not die.." **The shadow entity could not hold itself together. 'Chaos' melted into the darkness of the Hive

Chaos' LP: 0

"Do you think.. its over now?" Claud asked carefully. The seven were left standing in the empty core room. They could not find a trace of their opponent. "I certainly hope so." Xander went on to inspect the Quantum Computer. "He must have been trying to locate Kapha. And when he did not find him here, he searched for answers in Kapha's old computers instead." That was the only explanation he could come up with as to why Chaos showed up here. This had not been Kapha's hideout for months though. Whatever data this machine once held was taken with it, all drives were empty. Where Kapha was now, not even they could answer. "It is saver to assume it is not done yet." Subito concluded. "You always say that! I just want a break from this already!" Rita griped. "Nothing is ever easy. We all knew this when we took this task, Rita."

...

"Grah!"

_Azar woke up, in mind but not in body. His shadow had returned home to his resting physical self. "I made it.." They had destroyed only most of his power. As long as a shred remained, he could retreat. "It must have been Dakar who saved me, when damaged me. His energy is purer than the others.. less harmful to me." It had been close, too close. Even though Azar had planted the seed in Dakars deepest thoughts, Azar could not have made him do what he did, if Dakar did not have the right cards in his hand. "I was greedy. I thought I could solve it all tonight." It was not going to be that easy, of course not. He was up against a whole world now, not just one being.  
Even if he did make it back to the Hive, he doubted he would find anything useful there. Pandora had seemingly erased every trace of Its existence from this planet. "As long as the Seven stay together, I can not move out in public. But I can not keep this mental block up forever either. I need a new plan of approach." He would not be able to duel them seven on one, that was obvious now. Even getting Dakar fully to his side required appropriate timing._

_Azar only had one advantage. Pandora didnt want Ariel and the others to know about It too, It was not directly controlling them. It was using 'Kapha' as a voice. That meant that the Seven had to be warned first before they could act. If Azar could disrupt their communications somehow, he would have more time to do what he needed to do. Sooner or later though, Azar would have to fight them. He would have to regain his strength over day and strike again when night fell. Until then all eyes had to be deceived, whether it was his own family or a hidden Dakar. They had weakened him. If he could not stop them before, he certainly would not be able to do so now. Even a one-on-one duel would be a risk. "If I was a better talker, maybe I could.. No. Pandora will make sure they never believe me." He was all alone, the only one who knew the truth..._

_But he did not need to do this alone._

(To be Continued in Cipher 9: They Didnt Start the Fire)

**New Card used by Azar  
**The Supremacy SUN

-  
Fiends Sanctuary

**New Cards used by The Seven  
**Number C103: RagnaFinity

-  
Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One

-  
Coffin Seller


	10. (Cipher 175): They didn't Start the Fire

**(Cipher 175) 9: ****They Didnt Start the Fire**

"Did it really happen? Did Chaos come back? Are you gonna fight him? Have you dueled him already? And how is Azar?" It was a restless day for the pursuers of Chaos. The cat was out of the bag in house Artega, and it had many questions. "Shin. I.." Subito had managed to avoid his younger brother in the morning and afternoon. But at night there was no escape. He would have to tell Shin everything, or at the very least as much as he could. "I do not want you to worry. You are safe." Subito was at the very least content with the knowledge that Ariel had found no infections within him. "So, it _did_ happen." Worry, Shin did nonetheless. "It is. I can not speak much of it, not yet. We did face him, and he seems to have regained his full strength. The seven of us defeated him, but it is not known yet if he is gone for good."

"Bro. Why didn't you tell me sooner? You've been doing this for months and you look tired. Don't you think I could back you up?" Rather than growing fearful, Shin got glum. "I mean I can use my Number.. maybe! If it gives me visions of the future, I can warn you!" Shin knew he had landed himself in trouble many times in the past, but he felt he and his Number had been equally useful to the cause. "That was different, Chaos attacked us all and none could hide from him. Presently, we felt we could deal with this on our own, we could keep the burden to ourselves." The story Subito had was much like Ariels. "That, and your Number has not warned you of anything in months has it? This may simply be beyond its abilities." Shins Number, much like any other, had become less potent in the aftermath of the Chaos war. People believed that the Numbers only amplified their powers when threatened by beings like Chaos.

"Subito, Shin. What is this all about?" Any further questioning would have to be put on hold, as their father entered the living room at that time. "Dad. Its.." Shin hesitated to bring the subject to his father. That hesitation turned out to be unnecessary. "You can tell him, Shin. He already knows about my role.." As Subito revealed. "He did?" Shin was not very happy with that news either. "You are talking about Chaos. I see. Yes, Shin, I knew. I have known for a while now, and kept it secret from you and your mother for the same reason. People deserve to live their life the way they want to. And up until now, that was possible. With Chaos returning to full power we have to assume the worst."

"Father, is it ready?" Subito locked eyes with his father, keeping the topic of his question purposefully vague. "Nearly done. Test runs have proven promising." Mr. Artega replied. "Is what done? What mysterious thing are you talking about now?" It seemed like even more enigmas were dangling in front of Shin. It was starting to get aggravating. "There is a secret project in the works. One that might rid us of Chaos permanently. Thats all I am allowed to tell you for the time being. Trust me, Shin. We are going to fix this. And on that note.." He flipped his phone open. "I need to make a few calls. I have to let them know that..." He typed in a few numbers, but stopped halfway. "That's odd." Mr. Artega said as he stared at his phone. "What is?" Subito's eyes narrowed.

"I can't get any signal in here. The network is down."

...

In today's world you could not walk a mile without finding a sport event or game competition in progress. Qualifiers were held all over and every week. Dueling was a great part of it all, people could not get enough of the game. Certainly not this flame-streak haired spitfire of a girl. She lived for moments like these, she wanted to fight all sorts of people as go up against a thousand deckstyles. Her decks shifted from time to time as well. Though there was one constant factor, the element of fire. Sure she did not always reach the finals and win, sure she did not always qualify, but she never ran away from a fight. There were several titles in her past, but she did not care about those. She wanted to ensure that her name would be remembered by all future opponents. That name was Ruby Irant, and right now she was as ecstatic as she could be.

"My turn bucko!" She made it to the semis of the nearest qualifier she could find. It was run in a cramped toystore, but it could have been taking place at an abandoned warehouse for all she cared. Her opponent was some guy named Chester, a tall bespectacled young man with short black hair. He apparently ran a beastwarrior deck, as the first monster he had summoned was the golden-maned lion/horse hybrid, Leotaur(4/1500/1600). "You like beasts, do ya? Well, guess what! Me too!" Another notch on her score.

Ruby's LP: 8000 Chesters LP: 8000

"I activate the spell, Onslaught of the Fire Kings! Because you have a monster already, I can special summon a fire beast/beastwarrior/winged beast from my deck!" She used the spell to call upon one of her newest cards, a pale unicorn(3/1000/200) who walked in green flames and gold armor.. "Excuse me. But that's Fire King Avatar Kirin; a beast and not a beastwarrior." Chester immediately lectured her on the difference between the two types. "Meh. Details." She was not interested in hearing to what he had to say and what he seemed to know. "Not every card I use is a beastwarrior.. I normal summon Brushfire Knight." The next fire monster was a pure warrior(4/1400/1200), donning a silver shield and armor. "Now, during the endphase, Onslaught of the Fire Kings destroys the monster it summoned." She placed three cards from her hand face-down and let her turn end.

"Say what? You can't attack, or don't want to?" With a spell like Onslaught, Ruby could easily have summoned something stronger than Kirin. Instead she brought out something that died in the very same turn. "Pay attention. When Fire King Kirin is destroyed, I can send one fire monster from my deck to the graveyard." Ruby rummaged through her deck. "Oh and Brushfire Knight has an effect just like it! Except it sends fire monsters into my graveyard when one of my other fire monsters dies by an effect!" Due to Kirins selfdestruction, she could send two monsters out of her deck; Fire King Avatar Yaksha and a Leopard of the Fire Fist Brotherhood.

"You are working towards something. The summoning of your Number perhaps? It must be a complex method." Chester smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "Mine is far less convoluted. Allow me to demonstrate." He normal summoned another centaur-like beastwarrior(3/800/400). Only this one was halfhuman and wearing red samurai armor. Its face was covered by a thick mask of sorts with japanese writing on it. "I summon Shogi Knight. Its power in the game is this; it destroys one trap you have." The horseman rode towards Ruby's side and cut through her leftmost trap with its sword. "Hey hey!" Her Horn of the Phantom Beast was removed from the board. "A bluff then. Or the wrong choice. Irregardless.." Chester took another card from his hand. "When Shogi Knight destroys a card, it may also summon another level 3 beastwarrior from my hand." He special summoned a wooden wheel(3/500/500) with ten spokes. "Thats a beastwarrior?" Ruby blinked. There was nothing animalistic about that thing. It did have another japanese-inscribed mask at the center. "What do those masks say?"

"They are not masks, ms. Ruby Irant. They are Shogi pieces. This monster is Shogi Lance. Its power in the game is to take another level 3 beastwarrior and combine its own level with that monsters." The Lance wheel(6/500/500) and Knight horseman(6/800/400) stapped on top of each other. "Oh. Like Chess. No wonder you are called Chester." If that was a coincidence, it was still funny enough to laugh at. "They are two entirely separate.. nevermind." Chester nearly let his frustration get the better of him. "I overlay the two Shogi pieces, and summon a third!" Chester performed his rank 6 Xyz-summon, and created a flying cycloptic chariot(6/2500/1200). "Number 72: Shogi Rook! Its power is linear destruction! It sacrifices two attached materials and halves all damage one can inflict for this turn, to wipe out one face-up monster and one face-down trap!" The Shogi Number absorbed the lesser pieces and unleashed his two spiked lance wheels upon Ruby's side. "I destroy Brushfire Knight and your remaining trap!"

"How nice, but my trap isn't facedown anymore!" Ruby flipped a continuous trap face-up. "Kickfire! Once a turn, when an effect destroys a fire monster, this trap gains a counter!" Though her redcaped knight was impaled on the spiked wheels, the trap could no longer be destroyed. Instead it gained 1 counter. "Oh and Brushfire Knight may use its power even if he is the one being destroyed!" With his dying strength, the Knight dragged another fire monster, Heavy Cavalry of the Karmatic Flames, into an infernal grave. "That still leaves one less piece on the board, doesnt it? Now you have none, and I have two." Chester said right before his Leotaur unceremoniously blew itself up. "What?" The blast caused some minor damage to him and her as well. "Trap card: Chthonian Blast! You kill one of my cards, I kill one of yours. Its only fair." Ruby's third trap had destroyed the weakest monster on the field in response to Brushfire's destruction. Both players also lost lifepoints equal to half of Leotaurs attackpoints.

Ruby's LP: 7250 Chesters LP: 7250

"But my Shogi Rook may still walk all the way to the other side and strike!" Number 72 hit Ruby with its sharp weapons. "Hmph. Just a copy." Ruby barely felt the wheels and spikes, even though they were playing at the highest legal intensity. This guy must have had a different Number and was just using a reprint of Number 72.

Ruby's LP: 6000

"Your turn, Ruby Irant!" Chester placed a trap card down and ended his turn. "Hey. I get to say when it is my turn! _My turn_!" Ruby drew her card. "Even better." It made her flash a big toothy grin. "Hey Chester guess what?" She took one spell from her hand and kept it obscured. "What?" Chester sighed and asked her anyway. "Rekindling's what!" The spell was activated."Rekindling!?" Chester gasped loudly. It was a card that required no explanation, any duelist knew of its game-breaking ability. It would rekindle all fire-type monsters whose ashes lied in the gravyerd, as long as their defense points were exactly equal to 200. "I should have known, this was the reason for your milling strategy!" The revived were Fire King Avatar Kirin, Fire King Avatar Yaksha(4/1800/200), Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard(3/0/200) and Heavy Cavalry of the Karmatic Flames(4/1800/200) "What are all these things?" That last monster was a chariot riding zombie of all things. Just what kind of deck was Ruby using?

"I dabble in a lot of things. I dont like predictability. I really should have given Rekindling a go, years ago though." She entered the battle phase and sent her zombie in first. "Heavy Cavalry of the Karmatic Flames can banish one monster it battles before damage calculation. No Number immunity is gonna save your Number now, Chester, reprint or not!" The Cavalry charioteer stampeded towards the Shogi Chariot. The Number was run over by the undead rider, whose karmatic fire burned the Rook to a blackened crisp. "You..my Number!" Chester had foreseen a destruction ability, as his face-down trap could have defended against that. But he did not foresee banishing effects. "And now two direct attacks!" Kirin and Yaksha the Avatars closed in on Chester and dropped a dozen firebombs on him from above. "Confounded..." He had lost the lead he had built up. "Hrm. A good effort, but it is still anyone's game!" During the endphase, Rekindling would permanently kill the flames it had relit. All four of Ruby's monsters would be banished. Kickfire could not take advantage of that either.

Chesters LP: 4450

"Oh I love that look; that look satisfied selfconfidence. Its so fun to shove it back in their face." Ruby chuckled to herself and revealed the last card in her hand to her opponent. "Look. Recognize this? Its Dark Hole." She gave Chester a moment to change his expression to one of horror, and then placed the spell on her D-pad. "I destroy all monsters on the field!" A black hole opened up on the board, sucking up all her monsters at once and crushing them to nothing. "Four monsters are destroyed. Soooo.." Ruby let her trap do its thing. Kickfire gained 4 more counters. "Welp, time to end my turn! You know what that means? During your standby phase, I can sacrifice Kickfire and each of its counters will cause 1000 points of damage. Thats more than you have, Chester. You can kiss all your lifepoints goodbye!" She had done it again! Whoever said she needed a Number to make it this far could kiss...

Zap.

"What? Oh come on! I was just about to win!"Ruby snarled as the lights went out, as did her D-pad. "What just happened? This can't be a black out?" Chester had no idea what could have caused even their independently powered D-pads to short out. Nowadays all energy came from Numbers, and that energy was near limitless. "Whatever. Just don't think this means you get off on a technicality! You, you saw it right!" She pointed at the referee. "I won, declare it.. so what if its not recorded on the network. I.. Hey! Are you even listening?" The ref seemed to have no interest in her. "What are you even looking...at?" Ruby turned around..

..and stared right into darkness. "Jesus!" She tripped and fell to the floor out of fright. "What the hell are you?" A faceless figure stood there, a phantom that blackened the space it occupied like a living shadow.** "You have not changed one bit, Ruby Irant." **It adressed her, it knew her. "What? No! Thats not what I asked! You dont get to not answer my questions!" She pushed herself back up and tried to grab the entity. "Wha!" But her hand slipped through him, and he rematerialized a few inches to her left. "He..he really is a ghost!" The other duelists around them started panicking. They had seen what Numbers could do, but something as paranormal as this went beyond their worldview. "You..you are Chaos!" Some cried out the name they had come to fear, even before Azar got a chance to talk to them. _**"So you have fed them what emotions you want them to have, Pandora?"**_They did not fear him and remember his name because of their own past, they were told to react this way**. "I am not Chaos."**

"Then who are you? You aint human, that's for sure." Ruby was not going to let this thing scare her, but she was not going to be at ease around it either. **"I am a friend, to humans and Numbers alike. To call me Chaos is denial. I want nothing more than to bring balance to their order and your disorder. I am here to show you all a truth, the world you know is not the world you were born in.. none of you. You may call me 'The Truth'."** Azar summoned his dueling blade and his cards. **"And the only way to show you this truth, is by facing you and the Numbers you hold in battle." **His free hand was directed towards Ruby. **"I challenge you, original owner of Number 57, to a duel. It is your choice to accept or run."**

"What? Me? Run away!? A supernatural being shows up to fight in the tournament, and he expects me to back off? Not on your life, Truth/Chaos/whateveryouare!" Ruby responded exactly how Azar had expected her to. "If you are even remotely related to Chaos, I can even consider this my duty!" She began to reshuffle her cards. **"You may take the first turn.." **The shadow drew five cards. "I was gonna do that already!" Ruby placed one monster face-down and one trap card. "I don't need your permission!" As soon as she ended her turn she activated the set trap card. It was Kickfire again. She was robbed of one victory with that card, she would not let another be taken from her. The others in the building just stood there and stared. They could escape if they want, Azar had only turned of the power. Ruby's D-pad was the last active D-pad. Because he was only interested in dueling and converting her.

Azars LP: 8000 Ruby's LP: 8000

**"My turn. ****I special summon Trap Eater by eating your trap."** A hungry tuner monster(4/1900/1600) jumped out of the floor and swallowed Kickfire whole. "Gah!" Then Azar normal summoned one of the demons Chaos was more known for, Steelswarm Gatekeeper(4/1500/1900). **"Synchro summon."** Trap Eater tuned itself with the shellbacked demon, and combined its eight stars. **"Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons."** The synchro monster that process created was a devil of both dragonic and insectoid nature. Azar brought out the lord of flies, Beelze(8/3000/3000) with its two dragon heads, demonic chest-face and bloodred scales. **"Attack."** Beelze's two heads tore Ruby's facedown monster, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist Boar(4/1100/1400) mercilessly in half.

"Thats a pretty evil-looking monster you got there, Truth. You say you are the good guy?" Ruby in turn activated the effect of Boar. It could special summon another level 4 Fire Fist monster when it was destroyed as a result of battle. Ruby used the effect to special summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino(4/1700/1400). "Well against someone like you.." After her opponent placed two cards face down, it gave the turn back to her. "I think I will have to summon my Number!" Ruby normal summoned Coach Soldier Wolfbark(4/1600/1200). Wolfbarks effect revived one dead level 4 fire-beastwarrior, so she special summoned Fire Fist Boar back to her field. **"The sooner, the better.."** Azar was waiting for this. "Well, hope you are pleased then!" Ruby placed Boar, Rhino and Wolfbark on top of each other. "I xyz-summon Number 57: Trihead Dust Dragon!"

_Yes. This was what Azar wanted. Ruby was like Dakar, she had a connection with the force of Chaos and a connection with the Overhundred Numbers as well. Azar did not need to be alone, he had friends once, and he still did. Here on the other side of the world in the middle of the day, the Seven would not find him, not right away. Ruby would not be the first person they'd suspect he would visit. Time was still of the essence. Azar only needed to show her the truth they had forgotten. And after her, he needed four more to start fighting back._

(To be Continued in Cipher 10: One Ally at a Time)

**New Card used by Ruby Irant  
**Brushfire Knight  
Heavy Cavalry of the Karmatic Flames  
Fire King Avatar Kirin  
Fire King Avatar Yaksha

-  
Rekindling  
Dark Hole

-  
Kickfire

**Cards used by Chester  
**Leotaur  
Shogi Knight  
Shogi Lance  
Number 72: Shogi Rook

**New Cards used by Azar**  
Beelze of the Diabolic Dragons


	11. (Cipher 176): One Ally at a Time

**(Cipher 176) 10: ****One Ally at a Time**

"What?" The duel between Ruby and Azar continued. She had Xyz-summoned Trihead Dust Dragon, the three-headed beast of smoke(4/100/2600). It(3100/1600) copied the attackpoints of Beelze the Diabolic(8/3000/3000) with its effect. Yet when it attacked that devilish twoheaded dragon, its master activated a face-down spell: Shrink. And it was used on Beelze. "You weakened your own monster?" Shrink cut Beelze's attackpoints in half just before Triheads fire hit the diabolic one(1500/3000).

Azars LP: 6400 Ruby's LP: 8000

**"Beelze gains attackpoints equal to the damage it takes, Ruby Irant." **Beelze(3100/3000) roared and opened the mouth on its chest to inhale all of Number 57's smoke and flames.** "And Beelze can not be destroyed."** Azars dragon was an immortal synchro monster, not even Numbers could take its life. "Oh?" Ruby placed a trap card down and ended her turn. "Come at me then!" Beelze(4600/3000) regained the attackpoints it lost from Shrink. **"As you wish."** Beelze's dragonheads soared towards Trihead Dust Dragon. "Aha! Gotya! I activate Doble Passe!" Ruby flipped her trap, and made her dragon fly over Beelze. "Doble Passe changes your declared attack into a direct attack! And my monster can attack you too, sorta!" Direct damage was inflicted to Azar, equal to the attackpoints of Trihead Dust dragon. "On the next turn, Trihead can attack directly too, with an actual attack!"

Azars LP: 3300

"Then I merely need to end this duel now. Ruby Irant, I told you that Beelze absorbs all damage." The Diabolic one opened its maws again. "!" The damage Doble Passe inflicted was added to the attackpoints of Beelze(7700/3000). And Beelze could attack directly now, thanks to Doble Passe. "!" Things got even worse for Ruby when Azar activated his other set trap card, Inspiration, which added 700 more attackpoints to his Diabolic dragon(8400/3000). **"I want each and every one of you to play close attention to what is about to happen."** Azar turned to his audience, to the men and women who came here to duel.**"Then you can decide for yourselves, which fate you would rather have." **The shadow clenched a fist. **"This is over!"** Beelze finished off Ruby in one hit.

Ruby's LP: 0

The instant she lost, Ruby's world changed. _"Whaaat did youuu doooo..." _It was the feeling of experiencing a dream, and then thinking you have had this dream before. Except it was not just one dream, there were a million of them. Only now was she waking up, and the things that had seemed so nice in her dreams turned out to be nothing like the real world. Her past had come back, the chaos of it all, the fires and the accidents. And the screams, the horrible screams. "Gah!" There were no happy childhood days, there were no friends or family members there for her. There was only a burned out hole that the Numbers had tried to occupy. "Uhnn.." Her head hurt. It was a lot to take in all at once, from Theo to Cain and Tomorrow to Pandora. "What..what was I doing?"

**"Yes. Tell them what you were doing, Ruby Irant. What have you seen?" **This was the desired result. Defeating her with her Number in use had purified her body, freed her from Number 57's bonds. Pandora could no longer control them or hold Ruby's true memories back back. "You..you are." One memory told her the identity of the one who had saved her. **"Not that, Ruby, and not to me. Tell them."** That identity had to remain their secret. "What? I.. this really happened?" Of course she needed a bit more time to adjust to reality. This was not a nightmare for her alone. "I..gah. Its all this damn things fault!" Her first instinct was to take the Trihead Dust Dragon card and toss it away as far as possible. "They all are.. you are all.." The crowd stared at her, as if she had committed the gravest sin in the universe. "What are you staring at? You're all just zombies arent you! You would do the same!" Though not very precise and eloquent, Azar figured she was getting the point across. Not that he expected 'them' to accept her words or his.

**"This woman has been cured, she knows the Truth as I do now. You, all of you, should renounce your Numbers. You are slaves to it, and slaves to the false god. This is my declaration, the liberation of humanity begins today."**

_**"They will be here soon."**_ Time was running out. After the last ambush Azar had learned two things; how to sense the energy of Chaosnumbers and how much time it took for them to cross a certain distance. It had taken Xander at least five minutes to find him at the Hive, five minutes between him being noticed, 'Kapha' alerting one of the seven, and one the seven who was the nearest teleporting to the right location. One ally alone would not be enough to start fighting back. **"Ruby. I need to leave. You may come with me, or return to the world that you lived in before. I will let you choose." **Azars shadow extended his hand, waiting for Ruby to take it. He could carry her with him as long as she was connected to his energy. "I..." The world had gone mad for her, insane all around. She had enjoyed the dream, but she did not enjoy knowing that it had all been a trick. For her it always came down between two forces: anger and joy. "Okay." Her anger won. She took Azars hand which she could now touch. The two disappeared, warping to unknown destinations.

Xander, Claud, Rita and Ion blasted into the building several minutes later. "Well, we were too late." Rita cursed. There was no sight of the enemy. "Any of you, tell me what happened. Spare no detail." Ion demanded answers, any witness would do. Chester was the one who complied. "Uh..I.. It all happened so fast. I was dueling a girl..and then that thing showed up. And he did something..to her." He struggled to explain the things he had seen with his own eyes. "Thing. You mean Chaos. Which girl? What did he do to?" Ion placed his hand on the mans shoulder to calm him down. It made his explanations slightly more coherent. "He dueled her, beat her with illegal cards, and did someting to her. She started rambling, called us all crazy and tossed her Number away." That part of Chester story was confirmed when Claud saw Number 57 on the floor and picked it up. "What the.. This is.." Claud knew who used to own this Number. "Ruby's? He took her?" She was not someone he could soon forget. "And he left the Number behind, curious." Xander found the state Number 57 had been left behind in more confusing. The card was greyed out...

At that time, Ariel, Subito and Dakar warped in. "Did we miss him!?" Ariel asked, although one look at her surroundings was telling enough. "Yeah and not a little either! Where have you been? If you hadn't shown up late, you could have time-locked this entire area!" Subito and the others lived closer, they should have been the first to arrive instead of the last. "There was some issue with the network in our city. We could not send out or receive incoming calls. As the three of us were all in the city at the time. We had to track the four of you manually." Subito said as he checked his phone again. It was only now picking up a signal again. "Well I did say you shouldn't live so close together." Xander sighed. "You think Chaos had anything to do with it?" Claud wondered if that was what Xander was implying. "He is. It wouldn't surprise me either. He knows Kapha can only warn us through calling us. What better way to cripple three of us at the same time than by shutting down the network. Should be easy for him, he did it all the time last year." Xander shook his head. "Say what you want, Chaos is outsmarting us."

"And now he has Ruby." Ion told them grimly. "Who knows what It is doing to her. I do not want to imagine it."

...

Azar could not take Ruby far, but he could take her to a safe place. They had been lucky that his precautions paid off. Had he not visited Shins city first and disrupted the local network supplier, Subito could have caught him in the act and frozen him in time. It was an easy thing to do, when every power plant these days ran on the energy of Numbers. "Where am I?" Ruby did not recognize this place. "Is this where you live, A.. I can say your name now, right?" She was still a bit groggy, but her head had cleared up enough for her to remember who she was really talking too. "Yes. You can." Azar replied with his normal voice, now that the coast was clear. "Pandora can not hear or see what you are experiencing, not anymore. Nobody else can see we are here either." His shadow had brought them to a forest on a hillside, far from civilization and people. Pandora could not exist in wildlife.

"Pandora.. so she actually did it. That freak." Ruby was tired, and disgusted by the life she had been living for the last six months. "How..how did you do this Azar?" There were still gaps, parts that did not make sense to her. "The last time you saw me, I already had this power." Azar said to her. "Yeah I didn't get it very much then either." Ruby did remember, vaguely, that Azar had done something in the Numbers world. That was about it. "I was the ally of Chaos. I defeated the master of Numbers, Terminus, and absorbed part of its essence as well. Now both Order and Chaos have shared their powers with me, to form a kind of balancing force. This was something Pandora could not take away. Unfortunately I lost to her in a straight-up duel, and allowed her to erase my memories of ever having gained this power. Meanwhile she gained the power of Numeron, the power to control all the Numbers."

"Oh. That sucks. What can you do then?" For Ruby it couldn't hurt to have his powers be a little more defined. "Right now I can travel in this subconscious form that you see. I can affect minds, free them..if I defeat them. I believe I can also access some of the powers of Numbers I have encountered. I learned to teleport from an encounter with Dakar." Azar however had not gained Dakars unique ability to 'mask' his presence, which was unfortunate. "Slowly but surely I can fight back, set things right. I was not given this power to let Pandora twist the world into this. People may think they have free will, but they do not." He knew this now, and so did she. "Oh. I get that.. but.. why me? Why save me first? Why not Shin or someone closer.."

"It does not matter how much we know each other, Ruby. You fought with us and I know I can trust the real you, that is what is important to me. Shin is too close to the others. Ariel, Subito.. they are actively hunting me. And will hunt you too now." Azar had to admit to the last part. "Thanks for that then." She grumbled. "They will not harm us, they do not know what they are doing. But Subito and the others see Shin every day. They would also watch people like Ann." As Dakar had done. "They would _not_ think I could show interest in you, not as Chaos. It does not have to be just the two of us either. While I still have time, we can find more allies. We can keep going until we have enough to take on those with the Overhundred Numbers. If we can just stop them, Pandora will have no choice but to come out of hiding." This could all happen within the next nine hours if they acted with precision.

"More allies? More of the friend circle for a war against Numbers?" Ruby slowly changed her mind on Azars approach. "Count me in! Hell, you had me at the first sentence. When I am mad, I am not gonna ignore what makes me mad!" She slammed her fists together. "I even have the perfect third recruit in mind."

...

Trey Lionetti, one of the wealthiest duelists in the world was about to have a peculiar day. "Wha..what...what!?" One second he was lazily dozing off in his majestic abode on his soft couch, the next he found himself tied up, blindfolded and sitting on cold wet grass. "What's going on here?" This kind of attack did not just happen at random. "If this is about my money. Go ahead, take as much as you can! I have plenty to spare! Just dont harm my pretty face!" He was freaking out. A kidnapping in this day and age? Such vile acts had not been heard of since the last millennium! Money had less value than it used to, ever since the Numbers were discovered. Infinite energy and health kinda negated the need for a lot of monetary circuits.

"Trey. We are not here for your goddamn money." Finally his abductors spoke to him, and one of them had a very distinct voice. "Heeeeyy.. I know you! I never forget a girl! Yooooou're... Darcy? Owch!" Trey soon found out this girl had a heck of an arm too, as he earned himself a punch with his guess. "Wrong!" Trey was better with recalling faces than names. Though he had heard this girl before. **"Ruby, please control your temper." **Now the other interjected, with a heavy booming tone. "Ruby? Huh? Then who are you?" Trey's memory was even worse when it came to males, especially those with an inhuman reverb boosting their every word. **"We are your friends, Trey Lionetti. You have met Ruby already, and you know of me as well."**

"I do? News to me!" Trey started to struggle, but the ropes were tied pretty good around his arms. "If I am your friend, you can untie me right? C'mon, Ruby. I didn't mean to forget your name." He started to wonder if his past was taking revenge. Lord help him if he tried to remember what that could be. Trey had ticked off many ladies over the last few years. "We can't do that Trey. If we let you walk and look around, you will know where we are. She will know." Trey was not aware of it, but 'someone' had been watching through his eyes all this time. However that certain someone could not pinpoint their exact location. Trey's kidnappers had ambushed him and warped away after he had been blindfolded.

**"Trey. There are two ways we can do this; the easy or the hard way." **The other less pleasant sounding man spoke up again. "Do what? I mean I am up for anything, but not everything!" Trey objected. "Nothing like that!" Ruby yelled before Azar continued. **"Think back Trey. How did you come into possession of your wealth?"** There were two answers Trey could give. He only remembered one. "Well my luck of course! I played the lottery a lot and gambled a lot!" Either story involved a supernatural amount of fortune. However.. **"And what is the source of this luck?" **One story had a hole in it. "Huh? I dont know, I just have it!" Still, every word he said was the honest truth as far as Trey was concerned. And when he was honest, he was serious. "Not even your Number?" Ruby asked her own question. "Eh? Number 77? Why would that make me lucky? That card is just there to remind me I need to keep myself in check." To her he replied truthfully as well. **"I see. We will return soon. Stay Put."**

"Got nowhere to go!" Trey shouted after them as the two left him with the plants and trees.

"Interesting." When he was out of earshot, Azar reverted to his normal tone. "He does not remember the Number that granted him his endless luck." In the actual timeline, it had been the Number 7 that allowed Trey to become rich. Now he had a new Number. "Yeah I never saw him use any Number 77 card. So Pandora rewrote that part too? That there are no more numbers 1 through 9 in the world?" The first Nine had been the most powerful Numbers, and one half of the Catalyst. The only one that still seemed to be around was the Number 8. "You do not have Number 2 with you either, do you?" Azar reminded Ruby of her duel with Cain, the second catalyst. She should have had his Numbers as well. "Now that you mention it, No."

"...Could it be so easy, to absorb the Catalysts Numbers?" Azar looked back at Trey, who was idly humming a tune to himself at the time. "What are you thinking of now?" Azar had an idea. No amount of ghostly shadows could hide that fact from her. "I need to look into him. See if anything is still there as it had been with me. If Pandora could not destroy my powers, **the Catalysts may exist in some form as well." **Azar stepped out from behind a tree and approached Trey again. "You all done? Can I sit somewhere else now? My back is killing me wait you dont want to-eeeeaah!"

_Without warning, Azar dove into Trey's subconscious. He had to be crude, to not give Pandora an advance warning. Azar made his way passed all sorts of mental delusions he had rather not hoped to see. This head was filled with more fantasy than a library. Fortunately the essential psyche-core was not difficult to track down. Beyond the sea of imagination and ocean of forged memories, lied the unreachable depths. They could not be traversed lightly, Azar risked losing his own identity by heading down this far. But he had to know, he had to find out if there was another way to cure these people of their Numbers. He could not keep risking himself or his allies in one-on-one duels. The longer he stayed, the clearer this world got. There was a surface, a pattern, likea white beach surrounded by calm waters. At the center was Number 77: Seven Sins. This must have been the Number Pandora gave Trey to control him. And.. something lied buried in the sand underneath it, a force represented by a wooden box in chains. Azar removed Number 77 and broke the chains to open the box. "I knew it." Something had indeed been locked away in here, it was one half of a card._

_"Number 7: Lucky Straight." The card had been torn in half. Pandora could not completely absorb the Seventh. If he could remove Number 77 and the remnants of Number 7, he could liberate Trey's mind._

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"_

_"What in.." Trey's Mindscape began to twist and bend; the sky above turned into a maelstrom and the ground below started to melt. "Do you have any idea what you have done?" A voice came from the depths, from a body that crawled out of the mud like a reanimated corpse. "You!?" There was a mask on the face of the corpse, a loose mask with four empty sockets. "You led it straight to us!" It was Iscariot, the fourth Catalyst?_

(To be Continued in Cipher 11: Godsent)

**New Card used by Ruby Irant**  
Doble Passe

**New Card used by Azar Helder**  
Inspiration


	12. (Cipher 177): Godsent

**(Cipher 177) 11: Godsent**

"His place is bigger than mine! What the hell!?"

It did not take long for the Seven to receive a new warning from 'Kapha'. It appeared that Trey Lionetti had been taken. His empty mansion confirmed it. "We have bigger priorities than comparing incomes, Rita." She, Ion and the others had come here to investigate. They needed all the info they could get. "Who knows when this happened. Nobody saw anything." Claud, who had asked around the neighborhood, could not get any useful statements. Not that they needed to guess who took Trey. "Chaos is going after them, after our friends. First Ruby and now Trey." Ariel saw the pattern but not the reason. All she could see was a monster trying to hurt her and the others by attacking whichever friend he could find. "We need to warn the rest. We need to protect them." People like Sky, Darcy, even Ann; they were all targets. "Us separating is just what Chaos wants." Subito stated, knowing fully well that his own family was at risk too. "We need to get our information faster than Chaos can move." He hit the side of a wall. "...Kapha has to come forward."

...

_"Iscariot." The fourth catalyst, the human who bonded with Number 4; he was here inside the subconscious level. "How did this come to be?" The last Azar had seen of him, was his body disappearing after Pandora defeated Iscariot along with Azar. "You did not come from here, you come from...me." This psychic landscape did not just belong to Trey, Azar had brought his own psyche into it as well and made a bond. "Yes. I did. When we both lost to the Eight.. I managed to hide what remained of me..inside you; underneath your power. I was content to wait it out here, for as long as possible." The masked man spoke erratically, he was terrified. "That's over now. We are found."_

_"We? Pandora can not read my mind, we should be safe here." They were down in Trey's thoughts as far as two entities could possibly be. "Pandora can not see or feel the dreams of people, but she can feel the Numbers that make those dreams real! You thought you could release this human by directly attacking the Number inside his soul? Pandora prepared for that! She knows now that someone tried to attack the chains of the Number." The once calm beach that Trey had sculpted in his mind was now assaulted with horrid waves and lighting flashes. A storm was brewing. "Then she does not know where we are, this person we are in has not seen his surroundings!" The overhundred Numbers could not be told where to go. Even if they were, they could hardly fight Azar down here. "No. Not them. I said It was coming. Cant you feel it?" The mental tempest picked up speed and power, the darkness spread. "I..can." An immense force was headed their way, travelling the neural network of humanity. "You will never be able to get out if she takes full control of this body, you and I will be locked inside forever!" The road that Azar had carved to come down here was already closing up. "Then our course is clear!" Azar took the piece of the Number 7 card and flew back up._

_"Ah!" He did not make it far. As soon as he returned to Trey's conscious thoughts, a humanoid figure blocked his path. **"The Eight!"** It appeared as a void, as a lack of color and form standing in the midsts of a thousand restless memory images. The only feature on the void was a symbol, the symbol of infinity.__** "All this power..is yours."** This was the Infinite Number. Every Number and every power that ever existed stood against them. "Too much. We can not fight this." Iscariot cried out. Yet a fight was inevitable, there were no ways around It._

_"Look out!" However an unlikely ally arrived to come to Azars aid. **"Lionetti?"** Out of nowhere, the gambler showed up and pushed Azar aside. He had imagined a mental representation for himself, all decked out in fashionable clothes and enormous jewelry. "This is my brain you people are fighting in. I get to have say too, dont I?" Once Azar had returned to Trey's active thoughts, Trey became aware of what was going on inside him. **"Then that means.."** Azar looked at his hands. The number 7 was gone. **"It did work?"** He had successfully restored Trey's memories. Why else would Trey decide to help him? "Sorta. Feeling a bit woozy right now. Like I am half asleep. But what Ruby and you told me was true, that's a fact. And who am I to say no to a girl like that?" Trey would do anything to impress the opposite gender, even risking mind and limb like this._

_"You are a fool! Dont you realize you have taken his place?" Iscariot pointed at the D-pad that manifested itself on Trey's arm. "Pandora challenges two of us, and two of us 'She' gets."_

_Pandora's LP: 8000 Trey's LP: 8000 Iscariots LP: 8000_

_"No problem." Trey imagined himself a set a cards. "I think I know of a combo that can stop anyone in their tracks. If not, you can at least use the distraction to get away." He shuffled his deck and took the first turn. "If you even want to know why I am doing this; its because I know what you did for us, Azar. Maybe we didn't talk much, but your friends did. You even saved me just now, from that boring lifeless world where nothing mattered. Only now do I.. really.. feel lucky!" Trey smiled and drew his six cards with one fluent but dramatic pull. "Now. You are Pandora? Dont know much about you, except that you were once called Esther apparently. I remember Esther, she was blonde.. and pretty. I wish you stayed like that. Dont even know if I can call you a woman anymore. I prefer someone like this!" " Trey placed one trap card down and summoned a the female red-armor knight: Queens Knight(4/1500/1600). "Right, that was it. Next turn!" _

"..." _Pandora chose to take the next turn. Even now a voice did not come out. It activated a field spell, which took the form of a hundred golden cards that floated around them in a circle. "Those are..the Numbers?" Azar counted a hundred of them. "Huh?" The Eight then discarded 2 cards from its hand, two level 4 Heraldic Beasts, to Xyz-summon a card from its extra deck. The field spell allowed each player to summon a Number this way. **"Number 69: Heraldry Crest?"** The great demon lord of hate(4/2600/1400) descended through the Sphere Field. Azar had not forgotten this menace; Esther's first Number before she became Pandora. "For all the forms you can take, have you no new tactics? You have every Number, even mine. Yet you choose this one!" Iscariot would spit at her if he could. He did not have a Number of his own to summon anymore, he had lost Number 4 the first time Pandora defeated him. "But I do have a Number!" Trey discarded 2 random monsters from his hand. **"No don't!"** Azar was too late to stop him, as Trey Xyz-summoned his new Number; a gigantic blade-legged spider(12/4000/4000)._

Sphere Field, Field Spell  
Once per turn, if there are no "Number" monsters on the field, both Players can special summon a "Number" monster from their extra deck by using 2 monsters from their hand as Xyz Materials (This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon).  
If a monster summoned by this effect has no Xyz materials, destroy it.

Number 77: The Seven Sins, 12/4000/4000 Fiend/Dark  
2 Level 12 monsters  
You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a Rank 10 or Rank 11 DARK Xyz Monster you control as the Xyz Material. If you do, its 1st effect cannot be activated this turn.  
1: Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy 1 or more face-up monsters your opponent controls, then attach 1 of those monsters tp this card as an Xyz Material.  
2: If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach all Xyz Material from this card instead.'

_ "Wait, whats the problem? This is also my Number; The Seven Sins. Sure it says more about my attitude than my luck, but.." Trey's Number 77 could destroy any card its master wished to get rid of. Unfortunately Trey had not been aware of what Number 69 could do. "Hey!" Number 69 lashed out with its claws of red energy, stabbing the spiders body. "That Number can steal the effects of all Xyz-monsters!" Azar shouted, while the Heraldry demon drained all abilities from Seven Sins. __"Oh." Trey's face fell flat as now his own spider was now effectless. "..." The 69th Number than used its stolen destruction ability to target Number 77 and kill it. The spider of sins was then attached to Heraldry Crest as a new Xyz-material. "Whoops." That move ended that turn._

_ "You are going to be the death of me, host of the Seventh!" The Fourth activated the continuous spell card; Call of the Mummy. "By the power of the Mummy Calling, I may special summon one of the undead from my hand!" Iscariot placed a seductive crossbearing vampiress(7/2000/2000) down, who waited for her prey on her bed.. "Is that a card for her or for me?" It seemed to work on Trey. "Silence your foolish mouth. This is Vampire Vamp. When another Vampire is summoned to my field, she can mesmerize one stronger monster on the field and feast on it!" Iscariot normal summoned another female Vampire, the femme fatale Vampire Lady(4/1550/1550) "I shall claim your Number, Pandora!" Vampire Vamp used her eyes to hypnotize Number 69, and lured it to her bed. There she started to suck down on the Crest demons body and drank it dry. Genome Heritage was equipped to Vampire Vamp and its attackpoints were added to his monsters(4400/2000). "I lay out my field, Vampire Kingdom, and end this turn!" Iscariots field spell powered up the Vamp(4900/2000) even further, along with the Vampire Lady(2050/1550)_

_"So.. don't go to second base with that lady then.." Trey shivered._

_"..." The Voids second turn came after Iscariots first. In this turn she could make an attack. **"What is that..noise?"** That turns beginning came accompanied with sounds, sounds that pained Trey's 'ears'. "Thats..you?" It was Iscariots own voice, copied by It and echoing around infinitely. The words went by faster and faster, The Fourth could not make anything out. "She is..making a move?" Pandora reactivated Sphere Field. Another 2 Heraldic Beasts were discarded from its hand. Thus Number 8: Heraldic King Genom-Heritage; The masked devil horse(4/2400/1800) emerged and unleashed her hellish laughter. __"Return.__"_ _The void then placed a trap card down on the field and ended its turn. Iscariot did not like this. Pandora could have chosen to summon any Number, yet it went with the Eight? This was not his usual paranoia and fear speaking, some _thing_ was coming._

_"This is it." Meanwhile Trey remained in good spirits. "Reasoning!" It was his turn again, and he would make good use of it. He activated a spell that let him summon a monster from his deck. But only if that monster had a level that the opponent could not predict. "Hey, maskguy. You are my opponent as well technically. Call a level, any level." Pandora was not going to answer them, so Iscariot would have to do. "What is the... I say Eight." Iscariot reasoned he might as well go for an unreasonable level. "Lucky call!" That was what Trey needed, the first monster Reasoning picked up from his deck and summoned was his always reliable Slot Machine(7/2000/2300). "I need a third monster! Come out Ms. Judge!" Trey normal summoned a female judge(4/1800/600), sitting behind her bench. It could negate any cards effect by rolling two heads on a coin twice in a row. "Yes. This may actually work. I lucked out with my partner here. or should I say.. enemy!" Trey turned on Iscariot. "Attack!" He sent Queens Knight after Vampire Lady. Even though Vampire Lady was the stronger of the two and easily slaughtered the Queen warrior. "What? Are you daft?"_

_Trey's LP: 7450_

_"No. I know what I am doing. When Vampire Lady inflicts damage, I must send a card to my graveyard, from my deck! If you want Pandora to lose, you should pick spells!" The choice was between that, traps and monsters. "Then..I shall." Though Iscariot had no idea what this kid was planning, he still went along with it. "Okay! Then I send Jackpot 7!" The spell Trey discarded from his deck, was not just any spell. "Oh!" Azar saw another slotmachine appear, a static one. One of its wheels spun and stopped on a 7. "When Jackpot 7 is sent to the graveyard by a cards effect, it is banished! When three of these cards are banished this way.." Trey sent Slot Machine after Vampire Lady, it too was killed by Iscariots monster. **"Then you win the duel!"** Azar yelled as as the full plan became apparent. Even Iscariot sounded impressed. "You are no fool, host of the Seventh." The Fourth made Vampire Lady select spells again. "Thank you mister masked guy." Trey discarded the second Jackpot 7 card from the deck, and had it banished. One wheel on his jackpot machine remained unspun. "Ms. Judge.. atta.."_

_Trey's LP: 7300_

_"...wait what?"_

_Pandora's LP: 4000_

Sighs of Abandonment, Counter Trap  
Pay 4000 life points and discard all cards (min: 1) in your hand; declare 2 card names and apply 1 of the following effects to each  
* Banish all cards in each players hand/deck or graveyard with that name.  
* Each player can add 1 card with that name from their deck to their hand. That card cannot be activated this turn.

_"What?!" Pandora had flipped a counter trap, the one trap Ms. Judge could not negate as a counter traps spellspeed was just too high. "My jackpot!" Trey's third and final Jackpot 7 was banished, except not by its own effect. Trey could not achieve his victory condition anymore. _"Rank-Down Magic.." _Pandora spoke again, using echoes of Trey's voice to form the words. _"All. One. Nothing." _She added a spell that nobody else had in their decks.** "Rank down? Trey, you have to destroy her Number, now!"** Azar could feel the dark powers grow again, Pandora could not be allowed to use that spell on her Number. "I wish I could.." Trey had no cards that could defeat a Number. "Then our end is written." Iscariot was convulsing. He knew his fate, and yet he could not resist his terror. "Looks like it. Hey, you." Trey spoke to Azar, taking care to not mention his name. "You should have gone by now, shouldnt you? Take it from a guy like me, I know when my luck has run out. But yours hasnt! I know you will do whats right! Being a hero is too difficult for me anyway."_

**_"Lionetti.."_**

_"Go!_

"Rrgh!" Azars Shadow ejected itself from Trey's mind. He was back in the forest, with Ruby. "What? What is it, what happened?" She did not see his rushed return as a good sign. **"I failed. I could not keep Trey safe. We need to leave before the fight in his mind concludes." **Any moment now Pandora could rise to the surface, fully in control of Trey. It could not be contained or fought. "What about him? Should we just leave him here?" This forest did not look like a good place for anyone to be all by themselves. **"Trey doesnt need to worry, Pandora will not let him die."** The overhundred numbers would find Trey anyway, Azar only needed to take his blindfold off. **"I am sorry Trey. I will be back for you."** He did not know if he could hear him, but he had to assure him somehow.

"So..then where are we going now?" Ruby wondered if they were gonna try to duel someone else now. **"Not to another. I need to change everything. Pandora may know who I am now. You are not safe with me"** Azar knew someone to drop her off at. **"The night is lost, we need a new approach.."**

...

Some time later, as dawn broke into his part of the world, Azars eyes opened. Once more he was back on his bed. This awakening was not as relaxing as the last. The phone below rang constantly and was loud enough to snap anyone out of their dreams. Fortunately Azar had already sent his shadow back into his body some time ago. It would have been unwise to stay gone for too long when his father and mother always woke up early in the morning to go to work. Camilla usually slept in later, but it seemed even she had been given no rest. That was the problem when you had a phone in every room of the house. "Would you please take the call?" His sister was already waiting for her brother outside the room and handed the phone to him. "I am sure you can guess who it is." She said between yawns and shuffled back to her room. "..."

"Shin?" Azar asked as he put the phone close against his ear. "How did you know?" His friend excitedly chirped on the other end. "Intuition." Azar quipped. He did not want to make Shin feel bad by telling him he was the only one who ever called for Azar here. "You're good. Anyway! I wanted to call you earlier but my network was down for some dumb reason. And.. well the thing you maybe were worried about, I think it is actually happening now! Subito said that Chaos is back, and that he might attack us next!" The happy mood shifted rather quickly regardless. "Chaos?" Shin somehow had learned more about what was going on than Azar could have predicted, far more. "Yeah. But dad said that they are working on something to stop Chaos! And bro is..ehr.. you will see." Shin did not think he needed to mention every detail. The fact that Dakar had dueled Azar was also kept quiet, because Shin was under the assumption that Azar had forgotten about that. "Your father?" What Shin _did_ say was very helpful however. _"Then.." _Why was Shin telling him this? How? Azar did not think Pandora would have let Shin slip this information on to someone like him.. Was Shin escaping her control somehow? If he could hear more, he could understand!

"Shin?"

But he couldn't hear more. The line went dead.

"Camilla?"

His sister stood in the door opening again, she was dressed now. "You were listening in?" She held another phone in her hand, one that must have been taken from another room. "Weird things have been happening all around you lately, brother. First you refuse to use your Number." She started to talk as she leaned against the door. "So.. you _were_ watching us." Camilla could not have known that unless she had seen his entire match against Shin in the garden. "I have and that alone would have been fine. Then you started skipping classes, dropping your 'homework''." It seemed Camilla had been even nosier in the last few days. "I have heard about what happens to people who try to separate from their Number. They become something else, something unnatural."

"Tell me Azar. Are you still yourself?"

(To be Continued in Cipher 12: Years of Fond Memories)

**New Cards used by Trey Lionetti  
**Ms. Judge

-  
Jackpot 7

**New Cards used by Iscariot  
**Vampire Vamp  
Number 77: The Seven Sins (++)

-  
Call of the Mummy

_**New **_**Cards used by 'The Infinite'  
**_Sphere Field (+)  
_

_-  
Sighs of Abandonment_

_(+ Based on the Card used in YuGiOh Zexal, but altered)  
(++ Effect is altered from the OCG, due to the OCG card not being out yet at the time of this chapters release)_


	13. (Cipher 178): Years of Fond Memories

**(Cipher 178) 12: Years of Fond Memories**

"No. Not here. He did not come here." Ann was on the phone, talking to another one of her 'friends'. "We are safe. You don't need to bother.. but.. yes you can stay close by if you feel that is right. Yes.. I am grateful." She hung up..and then immediately threw the phone to the ground. "Oh my. What happened here?" Her mother immediately rushed to the room, and saw the cracked device on the floor. "It fell.." Ann lied. Not that her mother appeared to care what happened. "Oh it must have. These things can be slippery." She picked it up and put it aside. "Did the man have anything to say? She asked looking her daughter in the eye. "N-no." Ann looked away. "Okay. Then how about I make you some of your favorite cookies?" Mrs. Carpenter said with a smile and clapped her hands together. "That would be nice." Ann returned the smile, and her mother went on her way. ".." That smile was gone as soon as Ann was left alone in the room. She stared at one of the framed pictures in her house, one of her and her mother smiling in front of their new home. _"This is... not working anymore."_

...

"This is not what you think it is, Camilla." Azar had never expected to be cornered at his own home. Considering his childhood days, it should have been considered a logical outcome. "Then enlighten me. To what do you attribute all these unusual circumstances?" His sister had questions. Either Pandora knew what Azar had been doing, or Camilla had developed this suspicion on her own. Regardless of the cause, Azar had no time for the consequence. "You are right. I did not go to class last week, I visited friends instead. I could afford it, I am ahead of my schedule and work." He could salvage this situation. His mental blockade would keep Pandora distracted, he hoped. All Azar needed now was to give his sister a reason to trust him. "I did not use my Number because it was strategically unsound. Shin had placed a trap for me." He technically did not lie, which helped make him sound genuine. "Well. If that is all there is to it. Then it shouldn't be too much trouble to hold a little game of ourselves, should it?"

"A game...a duel? You play this game as well?" This came out of nowhere, he had never heard Camilla express any interest in a duel. Her Number was not a duel card either, last time he checked. "My, how much you have forgotten during your absence. We used to play together all the time, little brother. I had simply outgrown 'dueling' and enjoyments like it." A smile briefly crossed her lips. "We dueled?" Azar was not even sure anymore if that was another part of the fake past that Pandora had created, or a real memory he had buried in his mind after he left the family the first time. "I was quite good at it. I may still be. It will just a little fun, you can show me how you use your Number in a game. Then I will believe you.."

"If that is what you want. But we'll have to make it quick. I have to leave for school in an hour."

Azars LP: 8000 Camilla's LP: 8000

Azar, now properly dressed as well, met Camilla in front of the house, where the least amount of property damage could be inflicted now that the garden was off-limits. "I will let you have the first turn, Camilla." Azar could not refuse her, no matter how much he wanted. But neither could he actually go along with her and summon Number 46 against her. Even touching that card would let Pandora back into his head. He would just have to stall for time. He needed to avoid running into situations were it would be easy for him to Xyz-summon Dragluon.

"You are too kind, Azar." Camilla drew her cards, but only after she placed velvet gloves on her hands, as if she did not want to touch them directly. "You will find that I may surprise you." She placed the first card on her dueling pad. It was a very old model, possibly from the first dueldisk run. Her visor was not top of the line either. Still her tech was compatible with Azars. The network accepted it. "Majiosheldon, I believe it is called." She had normal summoned a portly hatwearing governor(4/800/2000), who wore red buttons and had a fine red mustache. "To its summon I chain this magic card. Or spell card as you seem to call it now.." Camilla activated a quickplay drawing card called 'Treasure of Six Colors'. "And I chain to that with another spell, Chain Summoning." Before her two cards resolved, a third quickplay spell appeared. "If Chain summoning is the third link in a chain of effects, I may normal summon two more times this turn." One by one, the pieces of her deck-type were revealed. It seemed to be some form of element/tribute deck.

_Treasure of Six Colors, Quickplay Spell  
__Activate when you normal summon a monster; draw 1 card. If the drawn card is a monster with a different attribute than the summoned monster, you can draw again._

"Ah, my draw succeeded." After Chain Summoning resolved, Camilla drew her 'Treasure'. She had drawn a fire-type monster, so the spell let her draw again. "Hmm.. I activate this permanent spell: Return of the Monacrhs. Once a turn, when a monster is tribute summoned, I may claim a monster from my deck with 1000 defense points and either 2400 or 2800 attackpoints." She explained, allthough Azars visor told him the same thing. "That can only mean.. Monarchs?" Those were the kind of monster that had those exact attack and defense points. "Wait. With that spell, you can not summon monsters from the extra deck." Return of the Monarch, like many Monarch support cards, restricted extra deck monsters. "Oh I dont need to summon a Number this duel, Azar. It was never in that form to begin with."

"I sacrifice Majiosheldon, and tribute summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." Due to Chain Summoning, Camilla could normal summon again. The tributed armored Monarch(6/2400/1000) burst unto the ground through a wall of flames. "Thestalos discards one random card from your hand, because it was tribute summoned." Thestalos threw a fireball from its hand and burned one one Azars cards away. "It was a monster, was it? Then you lose 100 lifepoints for each of its level stars." Azar lost only 100 lifepoints, because he had lost a level 1 monster. He had lost the White Stone of Legend. "Because you sent White Stone to the graveyard, I can take Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!"Azar took the dragon out of his deck and filled his hand again.

Azars LP: 7900

"You think this is to your advantage? I should hope not. I gained a new card too, little brother." Thanks to Return of the Monarchs, Camilla had gained a new monster with 2800 attackpoints and 1000 defense points. And she still had one normal summon left. "By sacrificing a monster that was tribute summoned, Thestalos the Mega Monarch can be normal summoned." Her firestorm emperor gave up its life to upgrade itself. Thestalos became a Mega Monarch(8/2800/1000), its armor grew spikes and its cape grew long. "In his mega form, Thestalos takes one card from your hand and inflicts 200 points of damage times its level." She knew which random card to pick, the newest one. "Tch." Blue-Eyes was sent into Azars graveyard and Azar lost 1600 lifepoints. "Oh. I should not forget. If the tributed monsters included a fire-element monster, 1000 more lifepoints are deducted when the tribute summoned Mega Thestalos' effect is successful." The mega monarch unleashed a burst of fire to catch Azar with. "Now, how was that, little brother?"

Azars LP: 5300

"That was good, sister." Her deck had improved from what he could vaguely remember. Though when did she get those upgraded monarchs? Did she print them out just this morning? It was physically possible to do that in minutes with today's technology. Yet she seemed quite adept at using them already, so did she have them before today? "Hmhm. Thank you." Before she ended her turn, she activated another continuous spell. "Advance Zone. When my turn ends, this card lets me draw a card from my deck, if I tributed two monsters for a tribute summon." She let the turn move to Azar and drew one card from her deck. "Show me now, what your deck is meant to do."

"Eset." Azar showed her by normal summoning the Hieratic Eset Dragon(5/1000/1200). The sunlight god dragon could call itself without tributes, but its attackpoints had to go down from 1900 to 1000. "And the equip spell; Dragon Shield." Azar compensated for it by equipping Eset with metallic dragonhide armor. "Oh? That spell makes a dragon indestructible, and also no damage can be done to its owner in battle?" Camilla read the effect out loud as it was displayed on her visor. "Do I have you on the defense already?" She inquired. Azar did not answer. He placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. "You are always this serious in a game, aren't you? I suppose you couldn't get rid of all our family traits."

"Its my standby phase. Majiosheldon can summon itself back to my field if it was tributed for a tribute summon in the previous turn." The governor came back in full force. "In my main phase, I shall use this spell card. The Monarch Strikes. It tributes one Monarch of mine, and draws one card from my deck. It also negates the effects of one of your cards. I will leave it to you to guess which one.." Thestalos was hit by a sharp lightning bolt and exploded violently. Like napalm, the fire emperors flames splashed on Azars Dragon Shield and melted it down. "Not so immune to destruction anymore now, is it? Still, your face-down cards concern me." amilla placed a new Monarch down on the field, who broke through the ground floor and crushed Majiosheldon to serve as its tribute. "I tribute summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch." The earth emperor(6/2400/1000) was called. "His power destroys one set card of yours." Granmarg punched the earth with its massive fists and made it split open. Azars left trap fell down into the darkness.

In the mean time, with the effect of Return of the Monarchs; Azars sister added an earthen Megamonarch to her hand. "I activate a spell as well: Card Advance. I look at the next 5 cards on top of my deck, and shuffle them." Camilla revealed her top five cards: Caius the Shadow Monarch, Treeborn Frog, Soul Exchange, Escalation of the Monarchs and Raiza the Megamonarch. The latter two cards were placed on top. "Afterwards, I can perform a second tribute summon in the same turn!" Camilla immediately tributed Granmarg, making it grow into its ultimate caped form(8/2800/1000). "Mega Granmarg will destroy your other set card, and.."

"Camilla. It is my turn to perform a sacrifice!" Azar flipped his trap card. "I activate Hieratic Seal of Banishment! I tribute a Hieratic Dragon, to banish one monster you control!" Azar sacrificed his own Eset dragon. "Oh?" Camilla then got to watch as Esets spirit blasted into the body of the Mega Monarch and made it crumble to fine dirt from the inside out. "Sister. I am almost always serious. But especially now, because you are accusing me of something I am not. Why would I be at ease?" Azar yelled while he used the effect of the Hieratic Dragon Eset. Because it had been tributed, it could special summon a normal-type Labradorite Dragon(6/0/0) to the field in defense position. "Little brother, if you are innocent, you have nothing to worry about." With her field empty, all Camilla could do was place a trap card down and end her turn. However Advance Zone still allowed her to draw a card from her deck during the endphase. She had still tributed 2 monsters this turn. "It seems you at least understand the theme of sacrifice."

"Sacrifice... That is the Helder motto, isn't it? You do not know what it is to live, until you have lost something valuable." Azar normal summoned a Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb(4/1700/300). "Father and mother told me often enough, how they had to attain their wealth and begin the family company by starting from scratch. That is why father let me leave, to let me experience 'not having everything'. He might as well have sent me away." He ordered the dragon to attack his sister directly. "Dearest brother. I too had to give up many things to get where I am. Don't presume to know what life is, just because you slept in an apartment. I activate the Trapmonster: The First Monarch." Camilla flipped her trap face-up. "!?" The trap summoned itself in defense position, as a n obscured emperor(6/100/2400) hiding behind two pillars. "Or... is this no longer a game, but also a lecture?" Camilla glared at him and waited for his next move. "...Turn.. end." But he had so few cards left, there was barely anything he could do.

"That was what I thought. You see, Azar, Father tested me too. I had to give up games like these when he sent me to boarding school. You had it easy compared to that.. you had a choice." As her turn started Majiosheldon was revived from the graveyard a second time. "Not that I resent you for it. Now then. I banish Strike of the Monarch from the graveyard." Her strike-spell had a second effect, which could be activated from the cemetery. "I change one living monsters element into any type that I choose. I choose Wind!" Her spell changed the First Monarch trap monster into the wind-element, turning its shades green. "I shall tribute both my monsters for Raiza the Mega Monarch!" The trap monster and Majiosheldon left the field, disappearing in a wide green whirlwind. An emperor(8/2800/1000) in green avian armor was at the eye of this storm. "Raiza the Mega Monarch! If a a wind monster was used to tribute summon it, its full power is unleashed! I.."

"I know what it does. It targets cards two cards on the field or in my graveyard and sends them back to my hand or the top of the deck. But I activate Skill Prisoner, from my graveyard!" Azar chained as soon as Raiza used its wind powers to target Labradorite Dragon and Gebeb. Skill Prisoner targeted Gebeb as well. "This turn, any effect that targets Gebeb, has all of its effects negated!" She was not the only one whose cards could be activated and banished from the grave. "I knew that was coming. I saw that card when I had Granmarg destroy it." Camilla payed no mind to the counter. She still gained a new Monarch from her deck thanks to Return of the Monarchs. "I set two cards down and end my turn." She also, again, got to draw another card in her endphase. Advance Zone had registered two more tributes this turn.

"Camilla. I know you and I were raised differently in the end. Father and mother wanted to mold us, and I managed to break free.. for a while. I do not say that you had it better than me. Yet.." Azars turn, he drew his card. "I have sensed hostility from you, ever since I came back. If not resentment or envy, perhaps it was disapproval. It does not matter to me, I do not want us to be at each others throats all the time. I am not possessed or corrupted, I am the Azar you know and played games with all those years ago! I activate Monster Reborn!" Azar used the classic revival spell to bring back one of the victims of the Thestalos firestorm. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I summon you! And I order you to attack Raiza the Mega Monarch!" The mighty white dragon(8/3000/2500) ascended and opened its jaws to let out a roar. It fired a stream of light right away.

"Of course, the Blue-Eyes card; it had always been your favorite. You begged father to buy you one, when it was still rare. Such shackles from the past.." Camilla flipped her quickplay spell card. "Should be broken, Azar! I activate The Monarchs Stormforth! This turn I can sacrifice one of your monsters to tribute summon one of mine!" Raiza unleashed another tempest. "What!? You can not tribute summon on my turn!" Azar protested, even though the storm reached his field. "On the contrary, little brother. Standard though that rule may be.." She flipped a trap card as well, a permanent one. "I have Escalation of the Monarchs! Once during each of your turns, I can tribute summon 1 monster!" The storm grabbed Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb and the Mega Raiza monarch. "I tribute your monster and mine to normal summon Zaborg the Mega Monarch from my hand!" A lightning bolt split the gale forces, revealing the massive white and red-horned emperor; Zaborg(8/2800/1000).

"Because I tributed a light-type monster, your Hieratic Dragon, Zaborgs effect is unleashed in full!" Zaborg gathered electricity in its hands and created a current across the field. "!?" The energy first electrocuted Blue-Eyes White Dragon to death and then coursed into their D-pads, striking both players extra decks. "One monster of yours is destroyed, and we must both discard cards from your extra deck, equal to the amount of level stars on your banished dragon!" Meaning she could send up to 8 cards from his extra deck. Meanwhile her extra deck was empty, so she did not have to send anything. "As a light-type monster was tributed to bring out Mega Zaborg, I may even choose which monsters you discard! I shall make your Xyz-summoning choices even easier for you, Azar! I.." But when her visor scanned the contents of Azars extra deck. "Where.." One specific card did not come up as she expected it to. It was there and yet not. "..is it?" Dragluon was no more, the Number card in his extra deck was decayed, greyed out. It still registered as a card, but its powers as a Number did not.

This had been inevitable. Azar could not take the Number 46 out as Pandora could monitor the contents of his extra deck through his D-pad as easily as it could control the online net. "...Camilla. Whatever you think, you were right about one thing. I have changed." The duel had reached the point where hiding his nature no longer had any use. If she had discovered his deception, Pandora had as well. "Not just because I severed myself from my Number." Wisps of chaos energy trailed off from his body, and his eyes turned pure white. "But because of the thing you and the rest of the world have started to fear."

"Camilla, I have changed more in my absence than you can imagine. It is time I told you."

(To be Continued in Cipher 13: In Helders Name)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Dragon Shield

**Cards used by Camilla Helder  
**Majiosheldon  
Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch  
Thestalos the Mega Monarch  
Granmarg the Rock Monarch  
Granmarg the Mega Monarch  
Raiza the Mega Monarch  
Zaborg the Mega Monarch

_-  
Treasure of Six Colors  
_Chain Summoning  
Return of the Monarchs  
Advance Zone  
Strike of the Monarchs  
Card Advance

-  
The Monarchs Stormforth  
The First Monarch  
Escalation of the Monarchs


	14. (Cipher 179): In Helders Name

**(Cipher 179) 13: In Helders Name**

Azars LP: 5300 Camilla's LP: 8000

Camilla had suspected something was amiss, but Azars revelation exceeded her imagination. "You.. abandoned your Number?" After her Mega Zaborg Monarch(8/2800/1000) allowed her access to Azars extra deck, she found out that no Number lied inside, only a grey husk of a card. No duelist on earth could let their Number decay like this. "You are the one everyone talked about?!" That was not all. Her brother was standing there, surrounded in flames of chaotic energy. This was the same power that had consumed so many Numbers last year, and her own brother was its host. "Chaos found me, Camilla, when I stayed with my friends at the city. It found me as its previous partner lied on the streets in pain, because he could not handle its power. I could, I managed to contain it, evolve it. And I used it, to fight against the Numbers." He started to explain. Unfortunately there was no calming her now. "You've become e a monster!" Fear had taken her. "You should never have returned to us!"

"Camilla.. I.." Azar had never seen his sister like this. She was terrified, affraid of him. Azar could not tell whether she said them out of her own feelings, or because Pandora was influencing her. But it hurt, it hurt that they were now put in this position. It might have been years since he felt anything like love for her, but she was still family. "I will defeat you! I will tear you out!" Now, instead, she was an enemy. "Mega Zaborgs effect continues!" Azar still had 14 other cards in his extra deck, 8 of which would be discarded. "Queen Dragun, two Hieratic Sundragon Overlords of Heliopolis, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, two Thunder End Dragons, Fiveheaded Dragon, Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand. Disappear!" She sent these eight to the graveyard, leaving Azar with his weaker and harder to summon Synchro and Xyz monsters like Drascension and Kachi-Kochi Dragon. And now that a monster had succesfully been tribute summoned, her continuous Return of the Monarchs spell card allowed her to add another monster with 2800 attackpoints and 1000 defense points to her hand; Caius the Mega Monarch. "I don't know what you are anymore, but you will not make my Number like yours!"

"I am still me, Camilla. More than ever. Chaos is not a devil I made a pact with. It is a being that I gave life to. It gained consciousness and a conscience." Azars turn was not yet over. He activated the spell card, White Elephants Gift. With it he could send one of his normal monsters, Labradorite Dragon(6/0/0) to the graveyard, and draw two new cards. Now the only monster he had left on his field was the Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord(8/0/0). He had special summoned that monster from his deck in defense position, when Camilla sacrificed his Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb and triggered its effect to summon normal dragons from the deck. "If anything, the Numbers are closer to what you fear. Camilla, your Number was just like mine; a dimensional parasite that was drawn to our race because of our emotions.. our desires." Azar placed one trap card down. "I could not tell you what I am, because the Numbers would know. They have taken our world, and I have to give it back to us."

"How can I believe that? Why should I?" Camilla asked her brother "You don't have to, Camilla. This is all on me." He ended his turn at last. Before hers started, Camilla's other continuous spell was activated. This turn she had also tributed two monsters, even if one was Azars. So Advance Zone allowed her to draw another card from her deck. Then during the standby phase, Majiosheldon(4/800/2000) special summoned itself back to her field, as it had been tributed two turns ago. "All on you? Is that what you.. is that why you are doing this? Because it makes you feel special!?" She let out a quick but nervous cackle. "You always wanted to be more, our family was never good enough for you! Now look at you! How does this look to !"

"I activate Tenacity of the Monarchs! By revealing a monster in her hand that has 2400/2800 attackpoints and 1000 defense points, I may claim any Monarch spell or trap card from her deck." Her Tenacious spell revealed Mega Caius The dark emperor, so she could add a continuous spell card to her hand. "I activate this card, March of the Monarchs! Now all of my tribute summoned monsters can not be destroyed or targeted by card effects!" Camilla was looking for security. Azars face-down trap already stopped worrying her. "I sacrifice Majiosheldon and Mega Zaborg!" Because she wanted to keep gaining card advantages through Advance Zone, Camilla tributed another two monsters when her Zaborg alone would have sufficed. "Caius is summoned!" Still, the mega form of the shadow devil emperor emerged from the shadows of its sacrifices. "It can not use its full power, because I didn't tribute a dark monster, but it can banish at least one of your cards! And inflict 1000 points of damage!" The golden sphere of the Hieratic Overlord was dragged down into the suffocating darkness. No light escaped it. "Hmph.." Merely standing in the path of the emperors black fog was enough to drain Azars life energy away.

Azars LP: 4300

"Direct attack." After that, she ordered the Mega Monarch to strike her brother. The devils monarch lashed out with its claw, tearing through the daylight and sending pure blackness at Azar. "Gah!" Camilla was not using a Number for this duel, yet the blow felt like a physical one. As if Azar was subconsciously adding the pain himself. "I set one card down and enter the endphase." She was done with her turn. Return of the Monarchs had given her yet another Megamonarch to summon on the next turn, Mega Mobius. Advance Zone allowed her to draw another card as well. She had so many cards she could not even play them all. Her entire backrow was filled. The last card in her hand, The Monarchs Erupt, would have to wait one turn before it could be set.

Azars LP: 1500

"Before you end your turn, Camilla." Azar did not allow the endphase to actualy end, not just yet. "I need you to know one thing. Whatever I felt about the family, whatever grudge I bore.. I never blamed you. Perhaps I always only blamed myself. I did things I am not proud of, at home and away from home. But this..what I am doing right now, is for the good of us all. I am the only hope humanity has right now, that you have. I will defeat you, and save you." He placed his hand on his set trap. "Save me? How will, you do that? You have nothing!" Camilla snarled at him one final time. "Like this. I activate Hope for Escape! I pay 1000 lifepoints and then draw one card for every 2000 lifepoints of difference between you and me!" The trap was flipped and the payment made. The difference was more than 6000 lifepoints, meaning he could draw thrice. "What!?" Together with the card he held on to, and the card he drew in his turn, Azar made a new hand of 5 cards. "It's over."

Azars LP: 500

"Because you control monsters, and I do not, I may special summon Tefnuit the Hieratic Dragon from my hand." The dragon(6/2100/1400) of the watergoddess surfaced from the invisible moisture in the air. "And.. I send it back to my hand, by activating A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!" Azars spell required the withdrawal of a highlevel dragon. Tefnuit disappeared into the fog, but flapped its wings before doing so. "This spell destroys all spell and trap cards you control!" The beating of wings created cutting windforces that headed towards Camilla's continuous traps and spells. "No!" Return/Escalation and March of the Monarchs were all destroyed, along with Advance Zone. "I chain with a trap card: The Monarchs Awaken!" Her last trap on the other hand was a normal trap, whose effect was activated just before it could be destroyed. "The trap seals the effects of a tribute summoned monster, but makes it immune to all other effects this turn!" Caius was coated by an armor made from all six elements. No matter what card effect Azar pulled out of his hand, he could not touch it until her next turn. Not unless he could defeat it in battle.

"Then I will have to use brute force.. I special summon Tefnuit once again." The monsterzones on the field had not changed, so he watergod dragon could return from Azars hand. "And by tributing a Hieratic Dragon, I can special summon Nebthet from my hand." One Hieratic disappeared and another, the moonlight dragon(5/2000/1600) took its place. Naturally, since Tefnuit had been tributed, Azar used its effect to special summon a normal-type Wattail Dragon(6/0/0) from his deck, with its attack and defense points reduced to zero. "I can also special summon Lightpulsar Dragon from my hand, by banishing a dark and light-type monster from my graveyard." The dark-type Queen Dragun Djinn and light-type Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon were his choices. Their contrasting attributes mixed together to form a cosmic pure white dragon(6/2500/1500).

"Now I overlay Wattail Dragon and Light Pulsar Dragon, and Xyz-summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum." One of the only rank 6 monsters he had left was brought out from his extra deck. The golden dragon(6/2400/2100) with wings colored like the night. Azar detached a material from his Xyz-monster. "Atum can summon any dragon from my deck. I choose Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." Azar took the metallized version of the ultimate Redeyes dragon and placed it on his D-pad. "But that monster will have its stats taken away. And Atum can not attack after it uses its effect!" The metal dragon(10/0/0) materalized in a severely weakened form. Even if it had kept its original attackpoints, it would only suicide against Caius. "I know, Camilla, this is just the second step.." Azar activated the effect of his Darkness dragon. "This RedEyes can special summon one dragon from my hand or graveyard. I summon Blue-Eyes!" The red-eyed dragon gave life back to its stronger blue-eyed counterpart(8/3000/2500). "And in my extra deck is Gaia Dragon the Thunder Charger. It can Xyz-summon itself by using a rank 5 or 6 Xyz monster and its attached cards as new materials! I will use Atum!" The night sky Dragon King folded its wings to hide its body and transformed. Once the wings opened, a new monster appeared; a red lancer knight(7/2600/2100) riding an armored wyvern.

"You still can't win with those cards!" Camilla insisted. "Yes. But I have one card left.. one step." Azar had not yet normal summoned. "I summon Rider of the Storm Winds." Another whitehaired dragon rider(1/500/200) made his entrance, filling Azars last monster zone. "It is a tuner monster." Azar took the Rider and another. "I tune it with RedEyes Darkness Metal Dragon and synchro summon Star Eater!" The 11 level stars of the tuner and the metallic dragon collided high in the sky, creating a second brilliant sun. "Star..Eater?" Camilla did not think Azar could summon a level 11 synchro monster so easily, she did not think any duelist could. A dragon(11/3200/2800) made of solar flames burst out of the sun and roared at Caius the Mega Monarch. "I told you, this is it. Camilla, be free!" Star Eaters wings snapped outwards, bringing the brilliance of the sun to Camilla's emperor of darkness. Caius was burned to nothingness.

Camilla's LP: 7600

"No. I do not want to fall. I do not want to be like you!" She cried out her last words out resistance. "I.." Azar almost hesitated. "I know." Then Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Nebthet and Gaia Dragon launched a combined direct assault on her remaining lifepoints. "Uhn.." Camilla dropped to one knee. "What.. happens now?" It was a strange sensation that struck her, one of weakness yet liberation. The full effects of her loss had not hit her yet. "Now.." Azar was holding back_. "I can take her Number.. Except, then she will become like.. persecuted by everyone. Ruby could handle that.. but her." _He was waiting, and not just on her. He had to make a decision..

Camilla's LP: 0

"?" He was too late to do so. Minutes passed before his eyes in the blink of an eye. "I was right, all this time I was right." There were seven more people now in front of his home and surrounding him. _The_ Seven, led by a distraught Ariel, were here. "I do not understand. Dakar, you said.." They could all see Azar for what he really was. "I know what I saw." The duelist he had assumed cured, was not just infected by Chaos, but acting as Chaos. "It is a good thing we got here in time. Are you alright miss?" Ion had crept down besides Camilla to support her. She was too nerve-struck to talk. "You atatcked your own sister? Dude!" Claud and Rita were disgusted by Azars actions. Azar ignored them though. "Time, hmph." He stared at the one who had trapped him. Subito, he was present for this encounter and succesfully froze time around the two had used that time to create another barrier around Chaos, and Ion pinned the forcefield down with additional light arrows. "Chaos... Azar. How many people did you try to infect? We found Trey, brought him back. We know you took Ruby, and we want to know where she is."

"Do you want to know? Or do you want to know what I did to her?"

"No. No more from you about truths and lies. You deceived us! You will not speak another lie!" Ariel shouted defiantly, and reached for her D-pad. "Then I wont, Ariel. I have come to the same realization as you. Nothing I say will help you, only actions can." Azar noticed the others around him motioned for their D-pads. A seven-on-one duel against him in the physical world would be disastrous. But they did not know that. "I would consider this; I am not as I was during our previous encounter. This body is mine, you can not destroy this power you hate without destroying Azar as well. And.." Azar extended his hand, holding a card inside, which he quickly burned to a crisp. "His Number!" Rita shrieked as the card shriveled up to nothing. "He severed Azar from the Number?" Things were worse than they had thought. "Now you may to do to what you desire, I cannot fight you. Yet remember, Azar is still your friend." He said, taking a deep breath. And then he passed out. "What? What happened to him?" Camilla gasped as Azar collapsed down against the pavement.

"He is out like a light." Ion checked the body. He could feel his breath and pulse. "Knocked himself out, or passed out from exhaustion, who knows.." It was almost of too much benefit to Azar, to be a mere coincidence. "If his Number is gone, then Chaos has taken him and corrupted him almost entirely. There is only one who can undo the damage now." Dakar walked up to his body. "You can't mean.." Rita yelled. "I can. I defeated Azar. We destroyed Chaos. It still came back both times. We need to take give him to Kapha's people, they can cure Azar and help revive his Number." He picked Azar up and placed him against the gate walls. "Wait. You are taking him?" Camilla's voice came back to her as soon as she saw this strange man touch her brother. "I don't know what is going on. But that is.." A feeling had come up inside her, one that she did not know she had kept with her. "He is still a Helder."

"Do not worry. We will try everything in our power to help him. He was a friend of ours once too.." Dakar placed his hand on Azar, and he warped him away. "I will stay here, just in case." Ion stepped aside, as the others got ready to leave as well. He figured someone would have to tell Azars parents just what had taken place here. "Suit yourself." Rita did not care. To her it was obvious that Ion just had a soft spot for the girl. "We will call you if anything happens." With that said, the five others disappeared as well. "What..are they gonna do to him?" Camilla asked Ion. He just sighed. "Fix him. Wish i could tell you more than that.."

..

The Seven, sans Ion, arrived elsewhere to do what they normally did with their special cases, taking them to a meeting point where they could be picked up Kapha's agents. And Azar was about as special as he could be. This practice that had always worked, as the people always came back cured. "The least you can do is let us come with you! I mean, I am an agent for gods sake, I worked with these guys before! I know some of them by name and face! We all do!" It just did not sit well with Rita, and the others, that they were never allowed to see the curing process or know the people in charge of that facility. Kapha had told them from the beginning that it was better if both departments did not overlap. "I could probably even guess where it is." Kapha never showed his face and he always sent masked grunts. They would probably arrive soon by helicopter to pick Azar up. It wasn't good enough for Rita anymore, she vented her frustrations through the phone. After a while her anger reached the point where her words became incoherent, so she handed the phone off to Xander. "What Rita is trying to say is that we can not maintain this arrangement. If Chaos can knock out one network, what is to stop him from doing the same to others? We would be blind, we need..."

"What? Okay. I understand. Yes, that will do. We will meet with him then."

"What? What is it, did you get through?" Claud began to cheer at this good-sounding news. "I may have. Kapha said he would send an intermediary, someone who can speak directly for him." It was the next best option after a direct connection with the head of the agency. "He also said that three of us should go with Azar, to make sure he does not break free." The duelist looked at each other. "I will go, and you two can come with me as well." Subito told Rita and Claud. He figured two agents would be best suited for this new facility they were headed for. "Ariel, Dakar, Xander, you need to locate Ruby and..." The others would have to stop her, as they feared she could further spread Chaos. And they would need to move quickly. "We will." Ariel nodded and teleported away with her brother and Xander.

Moments later, the helicopter did arrive. Soldiers stormed out of it and took Azar to strap him down inside. "Are you the three chosen?" One soldier asked. "Yes. Are you the contact person?" Subito asked. The soldier shook his head. "No. I am." Another voice spoke up over the spinning blades, coming from inside the vehicle. Not an unfamiliar voice..

"It's... You?"

(To be Continued in Cipher 14: Being Hated is Better Than Being Loved)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Light Pulsar Dragon

-  
A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon

**Cards used by Camilla Helder  
**Caius the Mega Monarch  
Mobius the Mega Monarch

-  
Tenacity of the Monarchs  
March of the Monarchs

-  
The Monarchs Awaken


	15. (Cipher 180): Being Hated is Better than

**(Cipher 180) 14: Being Hated is Better than Being Loved**

"I am telling you, something happened to Azar!" It was time for Natasha and Sky to listen to yet another one of Shins bouts of 'paranoia'. "His phone was cut off, and I heard my brother talk about us all being in danger, and I had another nightmare!. Its Chaos, like everyone said! Chaos attacked Azar!" He had been on edge ever since this morning. "Calm down, Shin. Chaos is back? Who says this? Has it been on the news?" Sky tried to err on the rational side of things, so he came with the logical questions. "No." Shin blurted out in response. "There you go then. If something as bad as that had happened, we would know about it." Natasha deduced. Shin refused to accept that though. "I bet that's just part of the conspiracy! The TV cant talk about it, because something is controlling all the networks. They don't wanna start mass hysteria!" Sky and Natasha looked at him like he was causing enough hysteria on his own. "Shin, just pay attention to class, okay?"

"Fine." Shin fumed and looked back to his study books. _"Azar.. where are you? Is Chaos close? Is he out to get you?"_

...

The agents new headquarters was not as elaborate or hidden as the previous one. With the last place in ruins and its locations strategic value rendered null, a relocation had been deemed essential. The agents elected to claim old prisons, which were defunct in today's society and modernize them to serve as their base of operations. That base functioned more like a hospital. That was where they kept priority # 1 targets; victims who had lost their Numbers permanently. In the year before, this place had received only one such visitor. This year, that number had increased to a handful each season. They all had been saved, all had their Numbers returned to them. Nobody knew exactly how this process worked, Kapha kept that information a secret. Nobody could come in here regularly either. The only people with access were high-level agents. You could not exactly make an appointment..

Unless you were once an agent yourself...

_"Ann?"_ One of the people who guarded this specific location was Korose, the agent formerly known as K_._ He was a tall athletic man with a rugged beard and trim haircut. He was also a man of honor and duty. _"You're back?"_ He monitored every entrance and saw a grey-haired girl approach the front gate through the camera. He opened the doors for her and let her walk into the building. "I did not expect you here. Ann, why did you come?" He met her in the hallway, before the first row of locked doors. Even an ex-agent would not get further down without permission. Korose had never gone anywhere but the first floor himself. "I.. wanted to try." She said after some hesitation. "Try? Ann, are there complications?" Besides storing severe cases, this base had an alternate function. It was one of many sites that offered ways to help people 'awaken' their Number. Sometimes a man or woman just took to long to gain one naturally, and the agency liked to help those late-bloomers along the way. There were those who tried to change the Number they already had by coming here, but they were usually rejected. "No. Nothing is complicated. _I_ am happy there..with her." Ann quickly answered this time, and put on a wide smile. "But..I heard things.. bad things. People are not safe.. I am not safe. So maybe.. maybe I need to find my Number."

"Ann." Korose knew, and he knew that she was not proud of it. Necara had not yet given her Number form or name. She did not even knew which number it was. Most people did not find out, until they were old enough to know what they wanted, before then it was impossible to analyze the Number. Ann was young, but not a child. Her case was unusual for her age group. "I understand, I heard the same things. I do not think it is as bad as you fear however, certainly not if it is true what they say."

"What do they say?" She asked him. "I was told that the Seven have captured a high-ranking threat, possibly the same one that kidnapped Ruby yesterday. I can not say much more than that." As Korose spoke, Anns eyes lit up slightly. "Really.. I am glad. Still.." She looked to her side. "It might help if I had a Number." Her mind seemed made up. "I hear you." Korose could not say no her. He owed her father that much. "I do not see why we can not at least try step one ourselves. I have a Number that is unique in its own right. It has helped certain people before." He walked to the first door and opened it with his keycard. "Thanks, Korose. I am very grateful for this.."

Moments later they were ready to duel each other. Korose had taken them to a holographic chamber. Here, visors were not required to see the dueling cards, they would be projected in three dimensions by the walls around them. This room was normally used for training duels and testing out new cards. And under certain conditions, it could also help 'create' a duelists Number. Today it was free for them to use. "I can go for the maximum intensity, if that is what you want." At that level, the holograms would feel like real living beings, and hit like them too. It added weight to the process. "Please..do." Ann was stronger than she looked, so it would be fine that way. "I have. I will take the first turn then."

Anns LP: 8000 Korose's LP: 8000

"I normal summon Heroic Challenger Thousand Blades." The room visualized a knight(4/1300/1100) in elaborate yet sharp silver armor. Several dozen spike-blades protruded from the warriors back. "I can use its effect, and special summon another Heroic Challenger from my deck, if I discard one card from my hand." Korose sent a random monster to his graveyard and pulled a card from his deck. "I choose Heroic Challenger Double Lance." A twin-lance wielding knight(4/1700/900) was placed on the zone next to Thousand Blades. "I Xyz-summon Heroic Champion - Excalibur, using the Heroic Challengers as the Xyz-materials." Thousand Blades and Double Lance left the room, energizing a portal on the floor from which the powerful crimson warrior king(4/2000/2000) could emerge.. "I detach both of its materials; Excalibur gains 2000 attackpoints until my next turn!" And the Champion(4000/2000) drew its sword, which doubled in size. "I shall now end my turn, once I have set one card." Korose placed a trap down and passed the turn to Necara.

"You are already excited." Ann could tell that Korose was enjoying the duel, in spite of his tempered nature. "I normally am too, when I fight like this. Normally.. No, its nothing." She placed three trap cards of her own down before her. "You still can not let go of your first deck, I see." Korose remembered her dueling days as Agent N. Not much had changed; she did not like monster cards then either. Korose had a different opinion, monsters were exactly what should decide a duel. "Your new Number may finally grant you a release. I believe it will."

Korose flipped his trap card, in the endphase of her turn. "I activate Reinforce Truth. I can special summon one warrior from my deck, of the 2nd or 1st level. I choose Heroic Challenger - Ambush Soldier." A camouflaged and masked warrior(1/0/0) jumped out of Korose's deck, brandishing his sectioned knife. "I take my turn now. I can sacrifice Ambush Soldier during my standby phase, to summon two Heroic Challengers from my hand or graveyard: I choose Thousand Blades and Extra Sword." The Ambusher disappeared within his cloak, sending itself to the graveyard. From the cloak that was left behind, came two of Korose's Challengers: the bladeback swordsman and a dual-wielding green armored knight(4/1000/1000). "You discarded that card on the first turn." Ann noted. "You needed Excalibur to expend its materials, while knowing I could not attack you on the first turn because of my deck." The attackpoints of the Heroic Champion(2000/2000) had gone back to normal by now. For that reason, Ambush Soldier had enough monsters to summon from the graveyard.

"I need more materials, because I want to summon the Number I have." Korose discarded another card through Thousand Blade's effect, and special summoned another Heroic Challenger Extra Sword(4/1000/1000) from his deck. After that Korose normal summoned the phalanx warrior: Heroic Challenger Spartan(4/1600/1000). "I am ready. I Xyz-summon.. Number 86!" Korose overlayed all four of his Challengers this time. "Heroic Champion Rhongomiant!" A divine warrior was formed from the four heroes; a lancer(4/1500/1500) in pearl-white and gold-rimmed armor. "Another Heroic Number?" Ann knew of one such Number already, Number 78. She was a bit amazed that another existed. "I should say that this is not the original Number 86. Rhongomiant was created by Kapha himself, to become my personal weapon against Chaos and any other that could threaten the agency. I was told the first Number 86 was a less restricted card, one that can use any type of material. Rhongomiant requires its materials to be taken from the warrior tribe. In return its powers are far greater!" Korose's new monster began to power itself.

"When Rhongomiant has 2 materials, it gains 1500 attack and defense points. I also can give it an additional 2000 attackpoints, as two Extra Swords were overlayed to Xyz-summon it!" The Champions(5000/3000) holy spear was coated in electric energy. "I activate the spell card Solidarity! I have only one monster type in my graveyard; all monsters of that type gain 800 attackpoints!" The continuous spell he played added further attackboosts to both Champions; Excalibur(2800/2000) and Rhongomiant(5800/3000). "I have not revealed all yet, Ann! Rhongomiant has 2 more powers right now. It becomes immune to all effects if it holds three Xyz-materials. It blocks all your summons if it holds four.. " Korose activated another spell, Overlay Regen. "It can destroy all cards you control, if it has five materials." Overlay Regen attached itself to the Champion, unlocking its final ability. "!" Korose did not need to say that he was going to use that power now, it was logical. Number 86 swept its lance across the room and smashed all three of Necara's trap cards. "Ann, is this how it ends?" Two direct attacks would wipe her out now.

That was to say, if Korose had two direct attackers left. "Not yet." A tornado sprung from the destruction that Number 86 wreaked. "Wild Tornado?" Korose saw which card he had just triggered. If Wild Tornado was destroyed while set, it could destroy one other card on the field. "Not all are immune." Rhongomiant might have made itself indestructible, but Excalibur was not. The kings sword champion was dragged into the skies beyond by the tornado, and never returned. "Your Number must have known you were not going to lose this turn, otherwise it should have reacted to your imminent defeat." Korose smiled and entered the battle phase. He had to keep attacking nonetheless. "I apologize in advance if this hurts more than you expected." Rhongomiant slammed the floor with his lance and made the room tremble. "...Haa!" The resulting shockwaves knocked Ann down. "I have..had worse." She was not too injured otherwise, and crawled back up quickly. "I am glad to hear it, I shall end my turn for now in that case."

Anns LP: 2200

Ann drew her card. She placed three trap cards down. "End turn." As she said that, one material was forcibly detached from Korose's Number. "I had not yet mentioned my Numbers drawback; Rhongomiant has to sacrifice one material each time my turn begins again." There were four materials left, which meant Number 86 could no longer destroy all of her cards each turn. And on the next turn, with only three materials on the Xyz-monster, her summons would be unlocked again. "Two turns left.." Presently, she just had to bide her time and replenish her hand. "!" As soon as Korose entered his draw phase, Ann flipped her continuous trap: Infinite Entrapment. "I draw, you draw..is it?" Ann paid 1000 of her lifepoints, in order to let her continuous trap copy Korose's draws. She added a new card to her hand.

Anns LP: 1200

_Infinite Entrapment, Continuous Trap  
__Activate by paying 1000 Life Points. When your opponent draws a card(s) during their draw phase you can draw 1 card.  
__When this face-up card is removed from the field, you take 500 damage for each spell card in your graveyard._

"Ann, that is good. I do not know however, how you will respond to this." Korose entered the battle phase again. Rhongomiant was still immune to effects, none of her traps could stop its attack. "Not to the Number, to you." They could stop Koroses orders however. She flipped the trap, Threatening Roar. "I can not declare an attack now, can I?" The trap targeted the agent himself, silencing his ability to make attacks. "Korose.." Ann spoke up again. "If this does not work." She was still not feeling anything different. Not from the hit, not from this entire fight. "Then will I have to be treated like him?" Her eyes stared beyond her opponent, towards the inner levels of the 'hospital'. She knew very well there was more to this place than what Korose wanted to show her. "You fear you would end up in there, with someone like.." Korose nearly let Azars name slip. He did not think she needed to know who they had captured, or where he was. "I would not let it get that far, Ann. I made a promise to your father, I will never see you hurt unless you wish it." Korose placed a trap card and ended his turn. "You can tell me about all your troubles."

"Oh. No, you should not be nice to me_.._ You have to hurt me._" _She responded with a weak grin as she drew her card. "I..should do what?" It was not something Korose thought he would ever hear her say. "I need to know, if it will come when I am almost gone. If it comes at all." Ann used up her turn just like the last one, she placed three traps down and did nothing else. Another material was detached from Rhongomiant afterwards. _"And if that doesn't come... then I know what to do. Than I know this world will never make me really happy."_

...

"You disappoint me, Azar." Stern words reached Azars ears. He had pushed himself into unconsciousness, but the voice pushed him back to the waking world. "You have brought disgrace to the Helder name." He knew that voice, and he knew the shape of the chair he was sitting in. "Father?" His eyes opened and he saw where he was, in his own living room. The Seven had brought him back here? "Son, what were you thinking?" He was seated at the dining table with his own mother; a jaunty woman with bobbed blonde hair. "He wasn't." And his father, a gruff yet gallant looking man with a long beard. "The things he did. You have heard them talk about it. He upset the order of the system, robbed people of their Numbers.. their strength." They were both here, the founders of the Helder company. Where was Camilla? He did not see her. "What do you think we become without Numbers, Azar? We become animals! You believe you are doing the world a favor, but you could not be more wrong!" The old man had a lecture for him as always. "I do not know what made you begin on this journey, but you have to walk away from it." His mother was overly verbose and dramatic as always.

"He knows what he must do, to make things right.. He can start with himself." And then his Mr. Helder placed something on the table; a card.

"?" It was the Number 46: Dragluon. It looked brand new, completely restored. "Please, son, you need to accept this. If you take it, you will be cured." Mrs. Helder shoved the card closer to her son.. "..." It rested one inch away from him, waiting and calling. "It is for the good of all. With it, you wont have to feel pain anymore, you will never be in danger. The world is a better place now, what could be wrong with the things that gave us infinite energy, an answer to hunger, disease and all the misery we have endured?" _She_ looked at her son with misty eyes. "They will not hold you responsible, you are not to blame.. they say. So just take it." _He_ looked at his son with barely controlled indignation.

"Take it?" Azar finally spoke. "This feels.. surreal." His hand moved over the card, never touching it. "You.. this place." Something was up, amiss. Why was he here, why was he kept here untied and unguarded? It was as if someone wanted him to be at ease, to be as comfortable as possible. Yet he could sense what lied underneath this happy exterior. It was not his world. "This is not really happening. I am not at my house, am I?" He stared at his parents. "You are not my mother or father." They did not even pretend to look shocked. They immediately acknowledged that he had seen through it. "What gave it away?" The mother asked, with a far more playful tone. "This chair did. I never liked sitting in this chair, it was too rough. Now it feels comfortable, it feels like it should to someone who likes sitting in it..like my father or mother. You are drawing this illusion from their biased experiences, because you can not draw from mine anymore." This house was a dream, Azar was not in the real world at all. "Is this how you do it, is this how you make people accept their Numbers again?"

"It is how I save them." Mother and father disappeared, fluidly melding into one being. That being took the form of a young woman with wavy green hair and purple eyes, it took the form of Esther; Pandora's more human identity. "You.."

"Me. Your friend, Azar. I only wanted to help you." She casually sat down next to Azar. "Friend? Do friends try to deceive each other?" She was way too close for his comfort, yet she just kept on smiling "A friend is someone who knows someone inside out, and I know you as well as you do. Well I did.." Esther put on a frowning face, before snapping back to her cheerful disposition. "Technically am your father.. and your mother. I am everyone, and they are part of me. I said what they would say." She started pouring tea. "Now then. Care for some Darjeeling? It always tastes better in memories."

(To be Continued in Cipher 15: Exit Eden)

**New Cards used by Agent Korose  
**Heroic Challenger Thousand Blades  
Number 86: Heroic Champion Rhongomiant

-  
Overlay Regen


	16. (Cipher 181): Exit Eden

**(Cipher 181) 15: Exit Eden**

There It was, the one behind all others. Before It had pretended to be his parents, now 'she' was the agency's artificial aide: Esther. "You do not want anything?" She inquired as she finished pouring the tea and took a sip from her cup. "How can I trust anything here? In this dreamworld?" He smacked his teacup aside. This was not funny, not ho him. "The things you said with my parents mouths, that is not what they would say. Is that what you believe in? You think what you are doing is a force of good?"

"Good? Evil? Those are just words, Azar. Love and hate are the real deciders. I love you as deeply as I love everyone. And they all love me. They just are not aware of me." Esther rose from her seat and clapped her hands. "?" The walls of the Helder house broke open, revealing the sky around them. It was fractured, sectioned into a million/billion facets. "Look at them Azar. Look at all of them." He realized that he was shown the perspective of every human on the planet. Each facet revealed the world as seen through one man or woman's eyes; from people who were simply busy at work or making dinner for their kids, to those who were skydiving from a plane or racing cars at the speed of sound. "From here I can see what they see, hear what they hear, smell/taste and feel what they do. Isn;t is fascinating? Here is where, as they say, the magic happens."

"Here is where you can keep them under control, is what I say. Like you did with my sister." Azar scoffed. "You make it sound so harsh.. I only _guide_ them. Under my care, no suffering falls on this world. The Numbers take care of the rest, providing comfort and health." Esther tapped the side of her head. "Whenever an evil thought arises, I divert people from it before it can be acted upon. Whenever a depression is born that would lead to selfharm, I make people forget it. People can still do as they wish, live as they want. Camilla was only given a slight push to help you, her feelings towards you were still her own. I would not mess with that. That is not a lie, Azar. Neither is this; nobody has died needlessly since Me."

"But people have died!" Azar protested. Plenty of people had met their end since the Numbers came, even if the rate of death had been drastically reduced. Most of old age, others through random accidents. Today's medicine could not reach all and save all. "Are you saying that you get to decide who should live and die? It is still not free will if people do not have all the choices. And how can you possibly keep track of a billion minds at once?" Azar saw the sky of infinite viewpoints. He could barely follow what was going on in one of them. "My mind can process things faster than yours ever could, Azar. As our friends so often liked to remind me, I am just a computer." Esther grinned. "It is easy. Just now, I made a Thomas C. Howell in west Virginia reconsider his desire to hang himself, I made him see the purpose of living. Yes, some die, the rest would panic if death no longer existed. The planet cannot sustain more life until humanity learns to move into the stars. Until then, until they are ready for immortality, I will keep them."

"Keep them, the dead? Is that what you did to Ion, and Claud?" Azar suddenly brought that up. "They were gone, you killed one of them." Azar had to force himself to remember why he despised this... entity. The more she spoke, the more entranced he became. Esthers voice was infectious.

"You know, you were not the only one who I couldn't cure." Esther ignored his question and turned to an entirely different subject. She snapped her fingers and made the sky focus in on one of the facets. "That's.." Through it, Azar saw Ann in the middle of her duel with Korose. It was Korose's eyes Azar that was looking through right now. She felt close by, now that he was thinking about her. "You can't control her?" Azar noticed that there was no facet for Ann herself. Could Esther/Pandora not read her mind? "She knew, she knew all along." That explained it; why she reacted so oddly to his first visit. "I feel so sorry for her, she can not be like the rest even though she tries. The End forever wounded her, more than Chaos and Terminus have scarred you. Ann was like a daughter to me, you know. My first friend. I had to make her happy. So I gave her a family, a home, all that she ever wanted. And in return she accepted the world I created. I can do the same for you, Azar. I can make you know bliss."

"No." Azar immediately rejected her. "Not like that, you can not just force people to feel a certain way. That's not happiness, that is a drug." He continued to look at the duel, expecting it to reveal something crucial. _"Maybe Ann finally sees it that way too."_

...

Korose's LP: 8000 Anns LP: 1200

Korose's turn began. He and Ann both drew cards due to the Infinite Entrapment card. "I activate Reinforcement of the Army." He activated a spell card to search for a level 4 warrior in his deck. "I take Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd." The chosen warrior, which he quickly normal summoned, was a purple-steel knight(4/2600/200) with a multi-axe/blade for one hand. It was also powered up by his continuous Solidarity spell. "I chain and activate Copy Knight." Korose had a trap monster of his own. The Copy Knight trap created a silver copy of Assault Halberd(4/800/0) in defense mode. "I know what you asked of me. I nevertheless hope you have can defend yourself, Ann. I attack directly!" Rhongomiant took his divine spear and swung it down. "!?" The spear did not reach its target, as space itself shattered before the weapon. Number 86 was immune to card effects, but its damage was not. "I lost life!?" The dimensional cracks traveled back to Korose and unleashed the accumulated battle damage right at him.

Korose's LP: 2200

_The Stalking Gateway Continuous Trap  
__Activate only when your opponent declares an attack.  
__Instead of you, your opponent takes all battle damage you would take during this battle phase. If your opponents lifepoints are lower than 3000, negate this effect.  
__After activation, special summon this card; it is treated as an effect monster card (4/1000/1300 Dark/Thunder). (This card is also still treated as a Trap card.)  
__You can not chain to this cards effects. You can not summon monster cards from your hand, deck or graveyard during the turn this card is activated._

The cracks(4/1000/1300) moved back to Anns side, placing themselves in defense mode. "I accept this damage, so I can now activate an effect." Korose took a monster from his graveyard; one of the cards Rhongomiant had detached before. "I may special summon Heroic Challenger - Thousand Blades from the cemetery, when I take damage!" The warrior(4/2100/1100) of a dozen blades was revived in attack position. "Your trap monster was dangerous, I admit. I am not threatened by it any more however!" Now that his lifepoints were lower than 3000, the Stalking Gateway could not reflect battle damage. "Assault Halberd can inflict piercing damage. I will have it attack next!" The heroic assailant raised his axe-hand to cut the trapmonster down to size. "..." Now was when Ann used two more of her trap cards; The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil and Chain Dispel. "!" The former raised Stalking Gateway's defense points by 400. This allowed it(4/1000/1700) to die while lowering Assault Halberd's piercing damage total from fatal to near-fatal.

Anns LP: 300

The other trap, Chain Dispel, destroyed every copy of the trap or spell card that it immediately chained to. Ann sent two more Phantom Knight Shadow Veil trap cards to the graveyard. "... I can add a Heroic Challenger to my hand, when Assault Halberd inflicts damage." Korose stated and he withdrew a second Heroic Challenger Double Lance from his deck. "I still have a third attack..and yet." Korose made the recently summoned Thousnd Blades take up arms against Ann. ".. it is not possible." Ann retaliated, with an effect from the graveyard. When a direct attack was declared, she could special summon The Phantom Knights of Shadowveil from her graveyard; not just one, but all three. All three normal trap cards became monsters in defense mode, three blue-flame ghost knights(4/0/300) riding their dark steeds. "You. are finally ready?" The Heroic Thousand Blades plunged his swords into one of the Phantom knights to destroy it. That card banished itself as revived PhantomKnights were not allowed to summon themselves twice. Two were left, Ann had materials for an Xyz-summon.

"I think it is now time for one final push." Korose moved to the 2nd main phase and discarded the card Assault Halberd had added to his hand. "I activate the effect of Thousand Blades!" Azars warrior special summoned another Heroic Challenger from his deck, the third Extra Sword(4/1000/1000). "No. Not that one." Ann said and Extra sword was destroyed right away. She had activated her last trap; Mirror of Oaths. It blew up any monster summoned from the deck, and allowed a player to draw a card. This was only a minor setback for Korose though. "I only intend to show you the right direction, Ann. I still can.." Korose overlayed Thousand Blades along with Assault Halberd and Copy Knight. "Xyz-summon Heroic Champion Kusanagi!" The three warriors created a portal. It brought out the giant heroic samurai(4/3300/2400) whose effect was designed to counter trap cards. Ann would _have to_ go for monster effects now.

"Korose. You do not need to push anymore, This is the last turn." Ann stopped smiling. She took her remaining Phantom Knights and placed them on top of each other. "..What is that word you use... Apologize? I apologize, but the choice is made." She Xyz-summoned a rank 4 monster, a seaserpent(4/1800/1000) surrounded by flames. "Lavalval Chain?" It was a common Xyz-card that every duelist recognized. It was not a Number. She still had not found her Number. "He knew, just like me." Ann detached one material from Lavalval Chain. The monster had two effects; one of which extracted one card from the deck and placed it at the very top. The card she placed, was the only monster card in her deck; Numberless - Angel of the End. "The End!?" Korose instinctively stepped back. He had expected a release of energy from her Number card, he had not expected_ this _card. "You have kept this card for all this time Ann?! I.." The End was supposed to have been destroyed and removed from her.

"Not Ann. My name is Necara."

Necara placed one trap card down and activated the Crematorium of Dreams field spell. Now she could activate traps during the turn they were set. "Azar was right.." She activated her left trap, Good Goblin Housekeeping. It would let her draw the top card from her deck. "I do not understand... why Azar!? " Korose countered with the effect of Kusanagi. The Champion detached one material to negate the activation of the goblin trap and increased his(3800/2400) own power at the same time. Korose could _not_ let her draw that card!

"He came to me, for help. I am ready to give it to him." Necara placed another trap down. "You are?.. You know he is here?" He had never mentioned his name, or the fact that people like Azar were brought to the lower levels here. How did she figure it out? "I can sense him; the End can feel the power of Chaos. I knew I had to come here, I knew it had to be today. One of your friends spoke of it." Claud had posted himself outside her house to guard her for a while. He had not minded his surroundings very well and talked out loud about how he was going to ambush Azar at his own house after someone else called him. "You can't stop me.. Kusanagi's effect works only once a turn." Necara flipped her second trap, Jar of Greed. This time the samurai could not prevent her drawing the top card from her deck. "I am here." By destroying her last trap, Infinite Entrapment, she could special summon it from her hand. The faceless dark angel(9/2000/2500) cut through the very air to enter this world, drawing power from all ten traps in her graveyard.

_Angel of the End - Numberless, 9/0/2500 Dark/Fairy  
__Cannot be normal summoned or set. Can not be be special summoned except by sending all trap cards you control to the graveyard.  
__You cannot summon or set monsters or activate spell and trap cards you control. You can only control 1 "Angel of the End - Numberless"  
__This card gains 200 ATK for each trap card in your graveyard. Once per turn you can banish 1 Trap card from your graveyard to activate the effect(s) of that card._

"I was deceived. You only came here for Azar, not for a Number." This was not what Kincaid wanted for her. Korose had failed him and his entire institute. "No. That is not true. I tried. I think..I wanted a Number, I wanted to be fooled. I knew it was fake, my family was not real and my happiness was not true." The feeling was vague in her memory, summoning The End had completely expelled Pandora's influence. There was only anger now. "It did not work." Necara let the angel(1800/2500) banish a trap from her graveyard; Stalking Gateway. As Numberless copied effects without their surrounding conditions and requirements, it could reflect all battle damage this turn even with Korose's life below 3000 points. "I know too much, this world is a lie. These Numbers should.. disappear." She sent Numberless to clash weapons with Rhongomiant, and make Korose take all 4000 points of damage. "Grrgghh!"

Korose's LP: 0

...

"I knew it." Azar had felt a rejection coming. "She does not want your world, your forced happiness. She isn't the only one!" He pointed at the skies. "You say you do not lie, but you made everyone believe in a lie! If people knew where the Numbers really came from, they would rebel. That is why you do not come out yourself, people do not want to know they are being controlled! Its in our nature to fight for freedom. Some already have, haven't they? The people the Seven bring here, they resisted their Number too! How can you say your plan works, when you need to cure someone every month?" Pandora could not keep calling them chaos victims, even the seven would see through that eventually. "Plan.." But as he ranted, he noticed that Pandora/Esther was not talking back. "You have a plan. to compensate for that." Azar remembered Shins last words, before the phone had been cut off. "That was you." She had cut his phone off, she easily could have. Her digital half really had to be controlling the flow of information, to stop revolutionary ideas from spreading. "Shin never could keep a secret, could he?" Esther laughed to herself. "Pandora! What is the plan, what is.." He got up and lunged at her. He did not care how powerful she was here. "Azar." All she had to do was smirk and snap her fingers. "Just wait a while, kay?"

"Ah!"

Azars eyes snapped open, to the physical world this time. He was strapped to a table, connected to wires from a machine and hooked up to sedatives via IV. He was surrounded, not by agents but by robots and mechanical limbs._ "Of course."_ Those were the only kind of workers Pandora could trust to do the curing for her. This hospital-like room must have been one of the places where they cured 'victims of Chaos'. _"My cards."_ On his arm was his D-pad, and in his extra deck was a new Number 46: Dragluon. It was just a copy so far, he was not converted yet. Azar did not need to think twice about his next action, the sedatives no longer affected his body thanks to a 'friend'. "Gheh!" With one outburst of energy, he broke himself free from his bonds and destroyed every machine around him._ "I wish I could do more damage, but I do not have the time." _He could sense Overhundred Numbers nearby, he had to escape. They had to escape..

"Ann.. No.. Necara."

He teleported to her location. The underground complex and prison had not been to far away from each other. "You, you are here already." Necara showed barely any reaction to the sudden appearance of the one she had come here for. "I am. And you, you got your power back." The state of the dueling room was proof of that. The shockwaves of energy that resulted from the Numberless' victory blow had dented the very walls. No duels would be held here for a while. "Yes. The End did not leave me, like Chaos did not leave you. We are the same." Necara was no longer the carefree girl Azar had met at her mothers house, her bitter nature had returned. Yet her love for her angel seemed to have vanished. "Yes. And we are stronger together. Your powers returned after mine did, didn't they?" Azar reasoned the reawakening of Chaos helped The End as well. "Ever since we dueled, our fates were seemingly joined." Azar walked over to Korose. The agent had passed out after his loss. "Him included." He could warp him out of here, and he would have to be fast. "Him? Why?" Necara did not see the point. Korose was not as strong. "Because he is a friend, and we can save him too." Azar theorized it was possible to sever Korose from his Number through the power of the End too. "Friend.." Necara had known the meaning of that word once. "Do what you.."

"Tachyon dragon!" Time froze in the middle of that sentence. "Did you get him?" Claud, Rita and Subito barged into the room. "Huh!" And, much to their irritation, they were the only ones inside. "I thought you said you froze their time!" Rita chewed out Subito, who had used his Numbers power to freeze the perception of time of everyone but them. "I targeted the entire building, they could not have avoided the effect." Subito did not know what was going on. They were sensed inside here a second ago. And now he had to undo the timefreeze, because he could not keep it up any longer. "He escaped us.. again." Subito's eye twitched. _"Azar. How are you doing this?"_

...

"That was way, WAY too close." Ruby yelled as she, Azar, Necara and Korose re-appeared on the other side of the globe. "..where did you come from?" The fact that Ruby had been there was news to Necara. "I could not tell you this before, Necara. Others were helping me with my escape." Azar turned to his side, glancing at an unseen figure. "You can show yourself now, Dakar." That figure took off his veil of invisibility, the same one that had hidden him and Ruby when they teleported into the building and turned off Azars sedatives. "Him?" Necara did not expect to see one of the Seven either. "The one and only. We were lucky that Subito can not see through my illusions. They had been in the room when he froze time, but Dakar had masked their presence. Once time 'thawed out', they could quietly teleport away.

"Lets go. We need to take Korose somewhere and then we need to plan our next move."

(To be Continued in Cipher 16: With Friends like These)

**New Cards used by Necara/Ann  
**Lavalval Chain

-  
Phantom Knights Shadowveil  
Chain Dispel  
Mirror of Oaths

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Heroic Challenger - Assault Halberd

-  
Reinforcement of the Army


	17. (Cipher 182): With Friends like These

**(Cipher 182) 16: With Friends like These**

Subito, Rita and Claud investigated the room where Ann and Korose had last been seen. "They are gone now." They were joined by a fourth person, a young girl with black dyed hair and a long dark gloves on her arms. "Darcy..." She was their contactperson, the direct messenger of Kapha. "We can see that!" Rita hissed. "You misunderstand. They were here, but you couldn't see, feel or hear them. You had them." Her fingers traced the bashed-in walls. "Ruby was here too." Darcy said, apropos of nothing. "What? How can you tell?" Claud cried out. "The signs.. Someone meddled with the sedation in the emergency room. That was how Azar could escape." The girl answered as she continued to inspect the damage. "He would not have gotten away if we had been allowed_ inside_ that emergency room." Subito said as gently as he could. His frustration with Azars escape was clearly showing. "Undoubtedly. Alas that procedure can not be done in the presence of other Numbers. It.. Oh." Darcy touched a communicator hidden under her headband. "Subito. I fear I have bad news." She turned to Artega. "Kapha believes they will be going after Shin next."

...

Azar and the others had moved locations again, warping to the city formerly known as Neo Avalon, hiding under the cloak night and Dakars masquerading power. It was hard to find empty houses these days, but Morgana's now leaderless metropolis had plenty. There Azar could at last explain to Ann how he had planned his escape. "After I failed to save Trey, I changed course. I took Ruby to a place where no-one would find her. No-one but Dakar." As he spoke, Ruby glowered at him. "He took a sweet while." She had to wait several hours inside a scrapyard. "He planted a suggestion in my subconscious where to find you and when. It took a while for me to become aware of it." Dakar apologized, again. It had helped that he had separated from Ariel and Xander in order to find Ruby faster. "The same hidden signals made me suggest that Azar should be taken to the agency's base. Afterwards Azar would finally free me from Pandora's control with a trigger." That trigger had been set off as soon as he saw Ruby.

"Then, why.. do you _have_ a Number?" Necara had other issues with this team. Dakars power came was his Numbers power, and Numbers were part of the problem. There was a reason for this. "The overhundreds are unique, Necara. I did not want to destroy them or their powers. They are Chaosnumbers as well as normal Numbers, so they are a part of me. Without Pandora's influence, now they only serve me and their hosts.." Allthough Azar could not be sure if the Overhundreds would stay loyal. Not until he figured out why they had betrayed him the first time. "There is a downside, Azar. Now that Pandora can't view my thoughts anymore, she will suspect that I am working with you, and that I still have access to Masquerade's power. The others will suspect me too. My sister.." Dakar knew a time would come that they would have to duel his sister. He hoped that moment was far off. "If Pandora knows, she did not show her suspicion to me."

"You _did_ meet her?" Dakar had hoped for and against this outcome. A confrontation with Pandora had been the entire goal of Azars plan to let himself get captured. "Yes. Unfortunately I could not get much out of her, or reason with her..with it. Pandora is devoted to this new world, it does not see anything wrong with what its doing. I fear for what It will do to maintain it." There was a plan, Azar could not divine what that was. The next step could be why 'she' did not try to stop them herself. Did their actions even matter in the long run? "Shin. He tried to warn me." Azar had pondered that occurrence as well. "Defeating Shin in a duel may have started the breakdown of his bond with his Number. The power of Chaos was always inside me. When I awoke, perhaps so too did the mark I left in Shin." Dakar had told Azar that Ariels duel with Shin forced him to summon Number 62. However she never finished that duel, she had to break it off to pursue Chaos. That could have been why Shin did not relapse.

"You are saying we should save him? Why?" Necara spoke up. "Korose, Shin, they are not strong without Numbers. They are not important. You can not save every one you call a friend." Tactically, she had a point. It was better to confront Pandora directly as soon as possible.

"Feh." Ruby did not care for that. She brushed her off and got closer to Azar. "I wasn't gonna say anything." She started to whisper. "But _wh_y did we bring her along? I mean she's calling herself Necara again. Who says she wont try to destroy the world again." Ruby had regressed back to her normal mindstate too, but at least she did not have a terrifying card like The End in her arsenal. "The End wanted to destroy the Numbers. Had you listened, we would not be here right now." Necara directly answered her. Clearly Ruby had not lowered her voice enough. "Why are_ you_ brought along?" She threw Ruby's question back at her "That can be my line too, Necara." Ruby pointed at Azar and then Dakar. "You, you can teleport, right? And you too!" She had seen Azar do it. "Well in a way. But I can not move in an instant..." Dakar tried to get across that his warping speed varied for each distance. But Ruby had heard what she wanted to hear. "Can you, Necara?" This time the grey girl had no rebuttal. "I thought so. So you aren't the most important one here. You don't get to pick where we go and who we save. I know you had a horrible childhood, and you are going through a bit of a phase.. I had that too. But after a while you need to grow up."

"I would like to go with you, if you are heading out." The discussion was joined, by the agent Necara had beaten only a handful of hours ago. "Korose? Awake? Why didn't we guard him again?" Ruby raised her fists as she was expecting trouble. "I am not one to fear, miss Irant." Korose slowly took a card out from his deck and tossed it on a table. "I am the Korose you know, once more." The card was grey now, only the number 86 was legible among its text. "Oh? All better now?" Ruby cringed and glared at Necara. "_You_ did that?" Necara did not look at Korose either, she just grinned. "The End can sever bonds between Numbers as well, it is a power we share." Azar told Ruby, who now had to accept that Necara was essential. "Agh. Fine. Just stop smirking." Ruby gave up.

"Korose. We would glady let you join, but are you up for it?" The agent had to lean against the wall to stand up; he could not have regained all his strength yet. "If I can walk I can assist you. And I want to." Korose was not a man who would not let a thing like that stop him. "I suppose you cant slow us down, the way we travel." Dakar shrugged. The more people, the more of a fighting chance they had. "But, to get back to that.. Azar. Do you really believe we should go after Shin?" Dakar was not the only one who had this concern that Azar was letting his friendship with Shin overrule his better judgment. "I do. Shin is our way towards understanding Pandora's masterplan. His father is part of it." Aside from that, Azar admitted to himself, he did not want to see Shin get dragged into one of those healing rooms now that he had seen them. "So we are going to need a distraction." To get one, he only needed to ask Number 104. "Dakar. Can you hide us from a distance?" This would be a complex plan, Azar needed specifics on Masquerade's full abilities. "A continuous 'mask'? If its just simple invisibility, than I can pull it off. But they wear off on their own if I am not there to give them more power, in an hour at best."

"That should be sufficient. You'll hide us.. and then you'll pretend to be me to draw the Seven out."

...

That same night Azar and the others made their move, arriving just outside of Artega manor under the cloak of invisibility. "Subito..." For a brief period of time the house was dominated by the energy of an Overhundred Number. That could only have been the 107th. Yet that power disappeared quickly. "He took the bait." On Azars instructions, Dakar had gone to a Number-powerplant on the other side of the globe. His illusions would get the Seven to think that Chaos was attacking over there instead of here and keep them occupied. "Then lets do it already." Meanwhile, Ruby, he and the rest could sneak inside the manor.

"Wait.." Getting in would be easy enough. If there were not still Numbers inside. "Numbers 62... 44 and 45?" The usual suspect was Shins Number. The kid sat in front of his laptop browsing it dutifully. That he was still up this late was not surprising, knowing him. However two others were up and walking about in his house as well. were not the Numbers of Shins friends. "Judith.. and Deckard?" Ruby recognized them instantly though, those Numbers belonged to two of Tomorrows members. "We have to take them out." Necara had an obvious solution at hand. "No. If we do that, Pandora will know we're here. We need to find out what information Shins father has before we can leave this place." Azar wanted to see what data he kept on his computers. "We need a second distraction. I could..." Korose suggested, and was about to volunteer when Ruby sighed. "No. I'll take care of them, I think I know why they are here. Knowing Subito, he wont come back here if its just me that is spotted. Still, stay on your toes.."

She took a deep breath and stepped outside of the mantle of invisibility. One second later she broke into the house by throwing a brick through the window and shattering it. _"Oye, that takes me back." _She smirked and 'snuck' her way in. "What the!" Shin saw her immediately and jumped up from his seat. "Shin. I am here for you!" She said with an affected sneer. "Ruby!" The cries of the startled Shin quickly alerted the other two to her intrusion.

"Aha! I was right!" Deckard shouted as he marched into the living room. "Ruby. You're here.. I am glad." Judith slowly followed him. Deckard still looked as brawny as ever while Judith was at least no longer dangerously malnourished. "Hmm, the two of you here?" Ruby feigned surprise. She had their full attention now. Ruby could not see what Azar was doing anymore, but she hoped he was using this chance well. "W-we thought you would show up.. with Azar. We heard he took you.. and made you go crazy.. like we had been without our Numbers." Judith had not lost her timidity.. and Deckard had not abandoned his boisterousness. "And since Azar is attacking his old friends, we decided to spread out and help protect them! Not just that, so we could also save you!" Deckard took out his d-Pad.

"Oh that is right. You still believe Tomorrow was all about Chaos." In the revised history that Pandora had created, Ruby's former friends had been a club dedicated to the power of Chaos and Rank-up Magic. The way the world was now, was closer to what they had really wanted.. what Theo wanted. Ruby never believed in that cause herself. "All of you, doing this for me." Ruby took her D-pad as well. "Stay out of this, Shin. I will deal with them first!" Ruby yelled at Shin before he could get a word in edgewise. "And you two heard me. I challenge you both." Ruby had triggered her D-pads two-on-one setting, connecting to Deckard and Judiths pads at the same time and making them share the same lifepoints. "What? I dont know.." The latter had clear reservations, the former did not. "No. This way is better, Judy! There is no way she can beat the two of us. She has bitten off more than she can chew, as always!". He had already drawn his five cards.

Ruby's LP: 8000 Deckards/Judiths LP: 8000

"Judith, dont be affraid of me. This will be just like the good old times." Ruby drew six cards. As she was by herself, she gained the first turn. "I summon Achacha Archer! He inflicts 500 points of damage when he is normal summoned!" The masked shooting archer(3/1200/600) lit the room up with his flaming arrow, and loosed it upon Deckard. "Ngh. Is that all ya got, Ruby!?" Deckard laughed. "Funny that you ask." Ruby special summoned another monster, a fiery swordfighter(3/1400/400). "When I cause effect damage, I can summon Achacha Chanbara from my hand, and inflict 400 points of damage!" Her samurai opened his hand and made the arrow of fire split open to add to the damage that it had caused. "Cheeky girl." Deckard was hit again.

Deckards/Judiths LP: 7100

"Oh and now I overlay my two fire monsters." Ruby placed the Archer and Chanbara together in one pot of fire, and Xyz-summoned an imperial lion-warrior(3/2200/200) in white/gold armor. "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor! Its power adds one level 3 fire-monster from the graveyard to my hand!" The Emperor sent one of its overlayed materials back into the pot, to give Achacha Chanbara its life back and place the card in Ruby's hand. "How was that, Deckard?" Ruby placed a trap card and ended her turn. Deckard did sounded a little peeved. "Hey you, make yourself useful and call for help." He grunted at Shin. "Huh? Oh, duh. Yes, I will do that!" Shin ran out the room and disappeared around the corner. "Ha, need backup already?" Ruby snickered. "Not on your life. I just can not stand to be watched by people who do nothing."

Deckard drew his sixth card. "That goes for you too Judith. You are in this as well." He would take the second turn, but she had better take the third. "..I summon Bujin Mikazuchi!" A blue/silver armor, worn by a spirit(4/1900/1500) made from lightning; that was Deckards first monster. "During the endphase, Mikazuchi adds one Bujin spell or trap to my hand, if I discarded a Bujin-card from my hand this turn." Deckard sent one such card from his hand into the cemetery. "I discard Bujingi Peacock. When I do, I can add another Bujin monster from my deck to my hand." Deckard claimed a Bujingi Pavo to his hand. Then after he placed two trap cards down and ended his turn, Mikazuchi sent a Bujintervention spell card from the deck into his hand. "Lucky for you, Ruby, nobody can attack on the first turn in a duel like this."

"It will still hurt though. But I know how it feels." Judith did then start her turn and activated a field spell; Sanctuary in the Sky. The living room was filled with heavenly clouds. Now no battle damage could be inflicted to the master of airy-type monsters. "I don't think you do, Judith. If you were talking about Chaos that is." Ruby had actually used Chaos force before, Judith had not. Besides, Ruby wasn't infected with chaos now anyway. "But Its good that you are using your old deck agauin." It looked like Judith had ditched her zombie deck that went along with Number 53. Logical, as Judith had gone back to the Number she had before she met Theo's brother. "I summon Agent of Creation." Now she was playing angels, like the feminine Venus(3/1600/0). "Deckard, can I.." To activate its effects, she needed lifepoints. "Its your choice." Deckard had no problem with the expenses. "Then I let my Agent summon a Mystical Shine Ball." By paying three times 500 lifepoints, Venus could special summon Mystical Shine Ball monsters, a red/blue and purple one(2/500/500), from her deck.

Deckards/Judiths LP: 5600

"Agent of Entropy." Judith special summoned one more monster, the raven-winged dark angel Uranus(5/2200/1200). It could be special summoned because Sanctuary in the Sky was the active field. It was also a tuner monster. "It can send an Agent away from my deck, to copy that Agents level." Uranus took the level 2 Earth Agent of Mysteries and tossed it into the graveyard, so that his(2/2200/1200) own level could be altered. "I then perform a synchro summon.. and an Xyz-summon." Judith overlayed two of the Shine Balls to create a rank 2 Xyz-monster. Next she tuned Uranus with the last Mystical Ball to summon a level 4 synchro monster. "Herald of Pure Light.. and Herald of the Arc Light." Two Heralds, faceless near mechanical angels, descended from the holographic skies in defense position. The Pure Xyz-herald(2/600/1000) gave off a saintly green light. The archangel synchro Herald(4/600/1000) glowed with the colors of the rainbow.

"Pure Light can send one dead monster into my hand and return another card to the deck." Judith detached a material from her Xyz-herald, and withdrew the Entropy Agent from the graveyard, and shuffled a spell card back into her deck. "I summon Uranus again." The dark angel tuner returned. This time it sent the level 3 Agent of Force- Mars, to Judiths graveyard, so Uranus(3/2200/1200) could copy that monsters level. "Number 45, come please." Uranus and Venus were then overlayed, to create a rank 3 Number. "Pluto - Agent of Existence, in attack position." It was a grey-haired angel in black armor, who wielded a scythe in one hand. "End turn."

_Number 45: Pluto - the Agent of Existence, Dark/Fairy 3/1900/900_  
_2 Level 3 Monsters  
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number__" monsters_._  
__Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; double the ATK or DEF of a monster on the field.  
__If this card is destroyed while "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is face-up on the field, you can send the top card on each players deck to the graveyard._

"A lot of familiar faces." Ruby's turn; she had her work cut out for her. "Hmm, Herald of Arc Light..what did that do again?" Ruby checked her visor before detaching a material from Lion Emperor. "It negates an effect by sacrificing itself, Ruby.. and then the source dies." Judith calmly explained, and did just that. "Ah right. Tss." The synchro Herald exploded into a ball of seven colored light and destroyed the Fire Fist emperor utterly. "But you just set off my trap card, Judith!" Ruby flicked her finger and activated a continuous trap. "Backfire! Whenever a fire monster is destroyed, you two take 500 points of damage!" Her burned out Xyz monster left flames behind. They had nowhere to go but towards Deckard. "Gah, why are you only hitting me?" He cursed. "Dunno. Something you said maybe." Because she had inflicted effect damage again, Ruby could re-special summon Achacha Chanbara from her hand and inflict another 400 points of damage to her opponents. "Halfdead and I havent attacked yet!"

Deckards/Judiths LP: 4700

Of course, while she was gleeful on the outside.. inside she knew that even with the lead she had now, she would probably not win against the two of them. _"Azar, you'd better hurry."_

(To be Continued in Cipher 17: Forget what you Know)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Backfire

**New Cards used by Deckard  
**Bujingi Peacock

**New Cards used by Judith Mercer  
**The Agent of Creation - Venus  
Mystical Shine Vall  
The Agent of Entropy - Uranus  
The Agent of Mystery - Earth  
Herald of Pure Light  
Herald of the Arc Light  
_Number 45: Pluto - the Agent of Existence_

-  
Sanctuary in the Sky


	18. (Cipher 183): Forget What you Know

**(Cipher 183) 17: Forget what you Know**

Shin rushed to the phone in the foyer. "Whaa!" A hand was waiting for him there to grab him and pull him inside some strange bubble. "Shin, dont panic. It's us." Inside three people had been hiding, one of which was his own friend. "Azar!" And he still greeted him as his own friend, in spite of everything. "And.. Necara, Korose? You guys are here too?" He was less sure how to respond to them. "Shin. We need your help, and we need you to trust us." Azar was saying some unusual things as well. "Wha? Why wouldn't I trust you?" Shin had questions about a lot of issues, but trust was not one of them. "Everything you have been told is a lie, Shin. Chaos has not returned, and the real enemy is closer by than you think. It is planning something, and your father is unknowingly aiding It.. we need access to his files. Please, you're the only one who can help."

Shin only gave it a moments thought. "Of course, of course I will help you!"

...

Ruby's LP: 8000 Deckards/Judiths LP: 4700

Ruby's Xyz monster was just now destroyed. She gained an Achacha Chanbara(3/1400/400) out of it. "When Herald of Arc Light dies, I can send a ritual spell or monster to my hand." Judith gained a ritual spell out of it. "I think I know where this is headed.. I normal summon Fire King Avatar Yaksha!" Ruby brought out a new monster, a fanged tiger warrior(4/1800/200) wielding a flaming staff. "Then I activate the spell, Circle of the Fire Kings! I destroy one fire monster on my field to special summon another from the grave!" Yaksha burned up his entire body to spread its flames like a ring. Ruby's continuous Backfire trap inflicted 500 points of damage to Deckard in the mean time. The fire circle then closed inward again, re-creating Achacha Archer(3/1200/600). "Oh and when Yaksha is destroyed, it can destroy one card that's in my hand!" Ruby took one monster from her hand and let it burn as well.

Deckards/Judiths LP: 4200

"That monster is new." Judith said to Deckard. "That it was. I see you chose to develop your deck over the years, eh Ruby? Or is this something Chaos gave you?" Deckard asked her. But all Ruby did was roll her eyes. "You should watch my duels more often." Ruby took the two Achachas and attached them to a new Rank 3 monster from her extra deck. "I Xyz-summon Grenosaur!" The archer and sword fighter combined into a crimson Tyrannosaurus(3/2000/1900). "Kill!" It immediately chowed down on Judiths monster, Herald of Pure Light(2/600/1000). Her other choice, Bujingi Mikazuchi(4/1900/1500), was not her preferred one. Attacking it could just trigger any Bujingi in Deckards hand, like Pavo which would summon a new Bujingi from his deck if Mikazuchi was killed. As for Judiths Number 45(3/1900/900), it could not be killed at all. "I know your monster in defense, so have some effect damage instead! Grenosaur takes 1000 lifepoints away when it destroys a monster!" She detached one material and let Grenosaur breath its flames on Judith. "Uhn.. Its okay, Ruby. I forgive you."

Deckards/Judiths LP: 3200

"I didnt ask for forgiveness, Judy. Nobody here needs it." Ruby placed a trap card down and ended her second turn. "You know. You say you're my friends, but you didn't come see me much over the last few years. If you did, you would be better prepared for me!" Then, during Deckards standby phase, fire rose from Ruby's graveyard. "The card in my hand that Yaksha destroyed, it was the Fire King High Avatar Garunix! Like the phoenix, it comes back to life one turn after its destruction!" A phoenix(7/2700/1700) did appear, with bright blue, green and red feathers. "Everything burns to ashes in its wake!" The resurrected Garunix could destroy all other monsters. Number 45: Pluto the Angel of Existence, Bujin Mikazuchi and Grenosaur were wiped out in the inferno. Grenosaurs death also fanned the flames of Backfire. "Ruby.." Judith at the very least could discard the card on top of each players deck now that Number 45 was destroyed. She lost a random spell to this effect, Ruby a random beastwarrior and Deckard a Bujingi beast.

Deckards/Judiths LP: 2700

"Monsters that thrive on destruction. How annoying." Deckard was free to do as he wished now. Except he was not. His own Number 44: Sky Pegasus had a destruction effect. That card wouldn't be of much use against the Fire Kings. "Good thing the Bujintei do not care." He placed two cards from his hand face-down in the spell/trap zone and then activated two more spell cards in sequence. "To activate my second spell, I must control no cards. But that condition leaves me cold! So I play False Meditation! A spell that treats my field as if it has no spells and traps, while banishing the top card from my deck!" His card banished a Bujingi Turtle from the top of his deck. In return his field pretended it did not have four cards set on it.

_False Meditation, Normal Spell  
__Banish the top card of your deck to the graveyard; apply 1 of the following effects until the end of this turn.  
__* Treat your side of the field as if you control no monster cards, __double the attack points of all monsters your opponent controls.  
__* Treat your side of the field as if you control no spell/trap cards, __double the defense points of all monsters your opponent controls._

"Now I can play the spell card, Bujinunity. It sends all Bujin beastwarriors in my grave and all cards in my hand to the deck! Then I can add three new beastwarrior Bujins to my hand!" Deckard played the spell to return Bujingi Pavo from his hand and Mikazuchi from his graveyard. Then he added Bujin Arasuda, Bujin Hirume and Bujin Yamato to his hand. "Now, time to use a spell I set; Bujincarnate! I control no monsters, so I can summon one Bujin from the banished zone and one from the graveyard!" His spell resurrected the previously banished Bujingi Turtle(4/1700/1200) and a monster that Judiths Number 45 had discarded from the top of his deck; Bujingi Fox(4/200/2100). "I can only summon beasts or beastwarriors this turn now, but that aint a problem!" Deckard placed the glowing Fox on top of the glowing Turtle. "Xyz-summon: Bujintei Tsukuyomi!" The moon spirit(4/1800/2300) in its golden armor was created with those materials. Tsukuyomi sliced through the clouds and brought the full moon skies with it.

"One down!" Deckard took all three Bujin beastwarriors from his hand. "Yamato!" He normal summoned Bujin Yamato the prince's armor(4/1800/1200) of dusk. "Hirume!" By banishing another Bujin from the graveyard, Bujingi Peacock, he could special summon Bujin Hirume, the brilliant armor(4/2000/1000) of the morning sun. "Arasuda!" And when a Bujin monster like Peacock was banished, Bujin Arasuda the shrine armor(4/1600/1900) of the night, could special summon itself from a players hand. "All three will be overlayed, to form Bujinki Amaterasu!" Three materials were required for this rank 4 monster, Deckard Xyz-summoned the armor of the sun goddes, wreathed in pitcblack flames: Ameterasu(4/2600/2500). "Once a turn, Amaterasu takes one monster that was banished and returns it to my hand or field!" Deckard detached Bujin Yamato from his Xyz-monster. In exchange the Bujinki brought Bujingi Peacock back to this dimension, summoning the golden bird(4/1800/200) to the field. "Are you done yet?" Ruby moaned.

"I see your impatience has not changed at least. Just wait, this is going somewhere!" Deckard activated his set trap card, Bujin Regalia the Sword, to add Bujin Yamato from his graveyard to his hand. "I can detach 1 of my Bujintei's materials to discard my hand, and draw twice!" Deckard returned Bujin Yamato to the graveyard, so heo he could draw two new cards right away. "Nice! I summon another Bujin Hirume!" This time that Bujin Yamato was removed from the graveyard, to create the second Hirume sun-armor(4/2000/1000). "Oh no let me guess. You overlay it with Peacock and blahblahblah.." Deckards next move was written on his face. He did not have to say anything as his two remaining monsters were attached to a third Xyz monster: Bujintei Kagutsuchi the armor of the firegod(4/2500/2000). "Kagutsuchi can negate the destruction of my Bujin armors, and!" Deckard pulled five cards from the top of his deck and pushed them into his graveyard. "It discards the top 5 cards from my deck, gaining 100 attackpoints for each discarded Bujin!" There were three Bujingi cards among the discarded total, so Kagutsuchi(4/2800/2000) gained 300 attackpoints. "Two more cards! I activate Bujintervention on Bujintei Kagutsuchi, this spell allows my Bujin-monster to banish any monster it attacks, if its attack is greater than its original attackpoints!"

"What? But my monster.." Ruby tried to protest. Until she looked at Garunix(5400/1700) again. "Huh?" Its attackpower had been doubled? "I am sorry. That was me." Judith confessed to the deed. Pluto the Agent of Existence had used its attack boosting power on the High Avatar, before it was destroyed. "Rgh." Ruby had missed that fact.

"Ruby. This one is for you, my final three-layered attack." Deckard flipped another trap. "To start, Bujin Regalia the Jewel!, My Xyz monster gains 400 attackpoints for each of its materials!" A golden jewel equipped itself to Kagutsuchi(3600/2000), giving it 400 attackpoints for its two materials. "To follow that up, I banish Bujingi Boar from my graveyard! \When I control a beastwarrior, the Boar can switch your monster to defense mode and reduce its defense points to zero!" The boar spirit was summoned from the grave, and it rammed Ruby's Garunix out of the skies, leaving the High Avatar(7/2700/0) grounded. To complete it all!" Deckard discarded a monster from his hand. "By discarding Bujingi Ibis, I can inflict piercing damage this turn!" Deckard clenched his fist and Kagutsuchi did the same, covering his entire body in its divine fire. The bird spirit Ibis joined it for this assault, giving it an axe of wings. "I will finish this in one turn! Kagutsuchi attacks Garunix!" The god armor of fire smashed its axe of fire into the High Fire King and extinguished its flames for good. Bujintervention banished all remaining ashes.

Ruby's LP: 4400 Deckards/Judiths LP: 2200

"Thank god. I thought your turn would never end." Ruby let out a yawn while her Backfire trap card inflicted more damage to her two opponents. "That is why I hate your deck, Deckard, you play more by yourself then with your opponent. Oh and by the way.." She placed a card from her deck on her field in defense position. "Dont think you will be getting two free direct attacks! When The High Avatar dies in battle, even if it is banished afterwards, it can summon one Fire King Avatar from my deck. I choose the Avatar Kirin!" The green-flame maned unicorn(3/1000/200) stepped out of the smouldering ashes of Garunix. "Oh yeah!? You should have chosen something stronger!" Deckard ordered Tsukuyomi to attack next. The moongoddess Bujintei slashed Kirin down with his sword. This death also triggered the damaging flames of Backfire. "Bujinki Amaterasu! Atta.."

Deckards/Judiths LP: 1700

"No. No Deckard. Please wait!" Judith shouted. "Huh?" Deckard rarely heard her raise her voice, so this had to be serious. "Don't attack her, that is what she wants." Judith pointed at Ruby's graveyard. "Volcanic Counter?" There was a new card there now, that had not been there before. "Tch. Half of you is paying attention at least." Ruby had sent it there with her Avatars effect. Kirin could dump fire monsters into the grave when it was destroyed. "If you attack her now, Volcanic Counter will banish itself. Its effect will make us share her 2600 points of damage damage, and we will lose." Judith had stopped him just in time. "Then what do you suggest we do?" Deckard called off his attack and passed the turn to his partner. "I have an idea." Judith summoned her next card, a fluid idol(4/1400/1000) with hands and arms growing all over its body._ "Crap. Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands." _Ruby knew what that card could do, it searched the deck for any ritual monster or spell and placed it in his master hand. As Judith already had a Ritual spell, she only needed the monster._ "Time for a ritual-summon.."_

"Is this is what Chaos wants you to do, sacrifice yourself just so he can get to Shin? We wont let you be sacrificed, Ruby." The card Judith claimed was Herald of Ultimateness. "I activate Oracle of Herald, I sacrifice 12 levels worth of monsters.." Manju on the field and a level 8 Archlord Krystia in her hand were tributed for the Oracle spell. "And I ritual-summon the Ultimate Herald!" The skies were bombarded with lights of all colors, which then turned white. The ultimate angel(12/2000/3000) was given its full inhuman body. "Direct attack!" Her ritual monster let crystal feathers rain down on Ruby's position. "Geh!" The effect of Volcanic Counter responded from the cemetery, and the flames burst from the cracked floor. "Negate." However, by taking an angel-type monster out of its masters hand, Herald of Ultimateness could negate any card effect or card summon. Judith discarded an Agent of Judgment - Saturn. "Just a little more, Ruby! Endure it for now!" The Herald destroyed the lava outburst by firing holy beams from every pore on its shell, and nullified the Volcanic's effect.

Ruby's: LP: 2400

"Judith, you're a nice girl, but really.. you don't know what you are talking about." Ruby shook her head. "I mean this is the third time you guys are being used, and you still do not notice. I am not being sacrificed, _I_ decided to start this duel!" Ruby drew her next card; a spell card. "...And I may not even have to let myself go down either." She normal summoned a monster. "What the.." It looked like a flying demon kite(4/1600/200) with a smile as big as Ruby's. Why that was in her deck? They had no clue. "Say hello to Guerillakite. When it dies, you lose 500 lifepoints." She could combine that with the damage from Backfire to deliver 1000 points of damage at once. "You see, I have dealt with pain, more than a normal person should. I lived off the streets, broke into houses, did some time in juvenal hall. But you know what? Those were all my choices too, and I would rather keep them than live in a dream!" Ruby ordered the Kite to smash itself dead in the face of the Ultimate Herald

"Yet you are trapped in a nightmare, Ruby. We will get you out, that is what friends are for!" Deckard, surprisingly, was the one to respond to the attack, as Judith no longer had cards in her hand to feed the effect of the Herald. "I activate Bujincident! This trap banishes a Bujin-Xyz monster. Then all monsters on the field are returned to their players hands! And no damage can be inflicted until my next endphase! At that point I will resummon the banished Xyz monster and attach a Bujin to it!" A hand of golden energy came down through the clouds, its palm opened to receive Bujinki Amaterasu and take it to heaven.

"We were friends once, Deckard. And we can be again. But.." Ruby had little time. "Not this way. Not through the choice of someone else!" She flipped her set trap card. "Destruction Ring! I destroy my monster and we both take 1000 points of damage!" A bomb-ring was attached to the tail of Guerillakite, which caused it to explode into a thousand shredded pieces. "!" The damage from Guerillakite and Destruction resolved first, and Backfire's damage followed immediately.

Ruby's LP: 1400 Deckards/Judiths LP: 0

"Agh. Theo always did say.. you were the strongest of us.." Deckard clutched his chest and collapsed. "Ruby, why.." Judith managed to fight off unconsciousness a little longer. "Your choices were made for you, Judith. I know your life, your real life, was not all sugar and roses either.. But I want you to be free too. Though..that is not up to me." Her words were heard and Judith passed out as well. "That wasn't fun." Ruby was not sure why she had even pretended to enjoy this duel. In the end it barely mattered, she could not remove the Numbers from them. All she did was beat up people she once called friends. _"This had better been worth it."_ Where were they now anyway, Azar and Shin?

...

They were not too far from her, still cloaked inside the invisible dome. Shin was rummaging through his fathers office, hoping to find what Azar had asked for. "Azar.. is this wise? His Number.." Korose was worried. Not about Shins loyalty, but about the fact that he still had a Number. Did he really believe the story Azar had told him? Or was Pandora trying to trick them? "The Number barely affects him right now, its influence has been weakening ever since I dueled him." Azar assured Korose, Shin had always been slightly paranoid by nature anyway. This was more evidence that Pandora could not perfectly control every mind. "You are not stalling, are you?" Nevertheless they had not have a lot of time, which Necara wanted to make clear. Dakars masking spell on them would run out soon. "I know. I know, but I cant find anything! He always takes his files and computer with him, and shreds what he doesn't need anymore. He did not tell me where he worked either, wait." Shin stumbled upon a piece of paper that wasn't completely destroyed by the shredder. "This is..something maybe?" A symbol was printed at the top part, a symbol that belonged to a very prolific government organization.

"ISA? The International Space Administration?"

...

Three of the Seven; Xander, Subito and Ion, headed out to the powerplant on Darcy's suggestion. It had reportedly been attacked by Chaos. The plant was still running when they got there, and people were in an uproar over the unknown intruders. "You are certain he was there?" Rita and Claud watched the whole operation from agency headquarters through the others visor video feed. "He still is. Several workers witnessed him and Ann wandering about a few levels below you." Where she got her information from, she could not say. "Hang on.." Darcy touched her headband. "We have know where Ruby is." The news shocked both agents. "Ruby? Where!? Did someone find her?" Claud asked. Dakar and Ariel had been looking all over for her, but it was not them that located the girl. "She was rumored to have been seen near Artega manor." Darcy revealed. "Artega? Oh boy, Subito is not gonna be happy about that. We should tell him!" Claud tried to open a channel. "No. Hold that, this could just be a diversion." Rita stopped him. "Luring Subito away is just what Chaos needs, and you know he would not be able to stay on the mission after he hears this rumor. This could be a wild goose chase.."

"I will call Dakar, so he can investigate it with me."

(To be Continued in Cipher 18: Gravestones tell no Lies)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Grenosaurus  
Fire King High Avatar Garunix  
Volcanic Counter  
Guerillakite

-  
Destruction Ring

**New Cards used by Deckard  
**Bujin Arasuda  
Bujinki Kagutsuchi  
Bujintei Amaterasu  
Bujingi Boar

_-  
False Meditation  
_Bujinunity  
Bujintervention

-  
Bujin Regalia - The Jewel  
Bujincident

**New Cards used by Judith  
**Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands  
Herald of Ultimateness

-  
Oracle of the Herald


	19. (Cipher 184): Gravestones tell no Lies

**(Cipher 184) 18: Gravestones tell no Lies**

"Strange, no signs of disturbances." Ariel and Rita arrived on the scene; Shins home. Rita could not get Dakar, so she called his sister to come along. "They are all resting." Ariel checked and double-checked, but she could not sense any Number besides Shins own and the Numbers of Judith and Deckard. The latter two seemed to be sleeping on the couch. Ruby's Number was nowhere in the area. "Tcheh. Some good info there, miss Lawless." Rita muttered into her communicator. They had come all this way for nothing. Ruby could not have gone far enough to escape detection on her own. "Appearances can be deceiving, miss Huxley." But their contact thought otherwise. "Kapha did not lie. If Ruby was seen here, then she was here. It is possible that her presence here became obscured, as it had been in the past."

"Obscured? Then.." Rita grabbed her Number 103. "Ragnazero!" She used the cards power to shatter any barrier or magic construct... and it worked on illusion as well. "What the?" The 'mask' was dispelled, revealing the damage done by Ruby, Judith and Deckard on the floor, and one missing Shin. "We've been had!" Rita cursed. "It can't be.. a power like this is just like.." Ariel did not know anyone else who could have made such an elaborate mask that even faked the power signature of a Number. "..Dakars."

...

As it turned out, Azar and the others had left Artega manor some time ago. Dakar had returned just in time to warn them and Ruby too. There had been no time to explain things, h and Azar took everyone away andwarped them back to Neo Avalon. That included Shin. "This was a mistake, we should not have brought him as he is now." Necara had placed her hand over his eyes right before the teleport. "Huh? Why? I am on your side! You don't need to do this!" He thought her precaution was not really necessary. "We do. It can still see through you." Shins bond with his Number was not yet deteriorated enough. He did not even know the full story yet. All he knew was that he could trust Azar. "I know what to do." For Azar that was enough. "Shin. You are going to have to sleep for a little while, it will only take a moment. When you wake up, you will know everything that has really happened."

"Huh? What are.. Uhhhn..." Azar tapped the back of his neck to knock Shin out with a mental jolt. "Now you can let go, Necara." Azar stated, while the girl let go of his neck. "You have your way." Shin was set down on the couch. "So he will be fine then?" Ruby asked Azar. Knocking people out was not always the healthiest option. "I believe it should not take him long." Korose was the one replied however. He spoke from experience. "I can tell that Shin is strong. I am confident he will recover like I did." It had taken him less than an hour, he did not even feel tired anymore. "I meant more in the sense of how we will adjust. He isn't as stable as you." Ruby had gone through the same motions. Even for her, reality hit like a truck. "..why did we have to leave so soon again anyway?"

"Because I received a call from Rita, asking me to help her investigate an incident at Shins home. I managed to convince her that I needed to follow my own lead." Instead Dakar had bolted, abandoning his decoy illusion of Azar as Chaos at the factory. He had put up another mask around the house when he arrived, so he was hoping the Seven wouldn't be able to follow them here. Shin and the Tomorrow members would wake up on their own, but until then they wouldn't be able to break the illusion from the inside. "Please tell me you were able to find something about the work Shins father had been doing." Dakar wanted some good news. Unfortunately all he got was Azar shaking his head. "What!?" Ruby shouted. She had not heard anything about the results yet either. "We only found a lead." Azar showed her and Dakar the piece of paper. "Every page in his office was blank or shredded, but some had the symbol of ISA on it. What it means, other than the involvement of the space program, I do not know yet. Except.. ISA has delved into the territory before, when Prometheus.."

"Gah!"

Suddenly, Azars sixth sense received an overdose of stimuli. "That's.. An overhundred Number? Here!?" The only thing that had ever warranted that reaction was the presence of a unique Number. And this was not Dakar he sensed. "We were followed?" Korose instinctively looked out the window. "I see someone..in the skies." A lone shadow darted through the skyscrapers of the city. "How?! Who told them to find us here?" Ruby thought they had covered their tracks.

"It might be me."

"You?!" Dakar was the one spoke those words, to everyone's shock. "I fear so. If Rita saw through my illusion, she will look for the one who could have made it. That's me." Her Number was also the only thing that can break through Number 104's creations. "They are the seven, they can always find each other... right?" Necara guessed, and Dakar nodded sadly. "That does not explain how she knows you were here? You had us all 'masked'" Azar knew Dakars powers could even fool even the Seven, when it came to detecting each other. "I was careless, I forgot that I cannot use my other power when I switch locations. Rita must have sensed me when I moved here.." He could not even tell if she had sensed the others as well. "This is all my doing. I have to make up for it."

Dakar abruptly disappeared. "Hey..wheredidhe.." He had teleported, but contrary to Ruby's first fear, he was not fleeing. "He is outside!" Korose saw a second shadow pop up to greet the first in the sky.

"Dakar." It was Rita, just Rita. "Rita.. what brings you here?" Dakars relief at not having to face his sister yet was only a small comfort. "Oh I could ask you the same thing." Rita's tone was a guarded one. "Your _lead_ took you here?" She was not outright accusing him yet, but it was clear that she did not trust him. "I got sidetracked. I felt a great power here. I investigated, but found nothing.." If Dakar could get her to believe him again, a confrontation could be avoided. "Great power? Is that so? Say.." Rita put on a sweet yet chilling smile. "While you were here, we came across some strange but very complex illusions over at Shins place. Do we know any Number that can make those?" She waited for an answer. "You believe..I made those? Rita, I would never go against you, against my sister. Perhaps Chaos simply has acquired a different Number that can hide his presence?" Such cards did exist, Rita knew this too. "Then for all you know, your great power is using it right now." Rita opened her hand. "Let me try.."

The instant she had taken out Number 103, Dakar had activated his D-pad. "Huh?." Her D-pad was given a challenge, and no duelist could refuse a challenge from one of the Seven. Not even themselves. "I knew it!" She flew backwards, putting distance between them. "You and Azar, you are working together. And now you are protecting him huh?" She tried to contact the others, but her outgoing signals were blocked. "You trapped me?" Dakar had created barrier around them both. Now that she was locked in a duel, her Number could only use its powers in that duel. "It is just you and me, Rita. The others are already gone." He lied. Azar and the others were still around. At least it seemed like Rita did not question that statement. "I did not want to fight you. I had no choice. I can't let you tell the others about me."

Dakars LP: 8000 Rita's LP: 8000

"You're such a fool. Azar did get to you.. You lost your duel to him..didn't you?" Rita shook her head and laughed. "Well then I am glad I get to be the hero who fixes that mistake!" She drew five cards, Dakar six. She wanted to have the first attack. "..Necrovalley." Dakar had the first turn, he activated his decks keystone. The field spells visual effect covered the entire city; Neo Avalon was reduced to a desert wasteland of sand, pyramids and skyscrapers. "I set one monster, and then I activate Royal Tribute! Both players discard all monsters in their hand!" Dakar threw away one monster, and Rita two. "Turn end."

"You know.. your sister, she did not believe me when I told her that illusion was made by you. She trusts you! This is how you repay her? I am not gonna go soft on you like she would be!" Rita placed a trap card down and activated the spell card, Salvage. She could take back the two monsters she had just been forced to discard; Frozen Phoenix and Esha the Frost Vassal, as they were both water-type monsters with had less than 1500 attackpoints. This effect could not be blocked by Necrovalley either, as Frozen Phoenix specifically overwrote the Valley's graveyard seal while it was in the graveyard. "You think you can delay me, but you are only bringing yourself down! Ariel knows I am here, everyone does!" She then normal summoned the first monster to her field. It was the phoenixian bird encased in ice; Frozen Phoenix(4/1600/1600). "As soon as I beat you, your barrier and illusions will fade away!" The Phoenix flapped its wings and launched an attack on Dakars set monster, puncturing its body with feather icicles.

_Frozen Phoenix, 4/1600/1600 Water/Winged Beast  
__If this card is in your Graveyard: You can banish 2 WATER monsters from your graveyard; special summon this card. You can only use this effect of "Frozen Phoenix" once per Duel.  
__While this card is in your graveyard, negate a cards effect that would prevent you from targeting cards in your graveyard._

"I know how fast they can travell. I have time left." Dakar fired back, with words and card effects. The monster Rita had killed was Gravekeepers Nobleman(3/1500/1500), the blue-haired disciple of the keepers clan. Like all Gravekeepers, it gained 500 defense and attackpoints from Necrovalley. But that had not allowed it to survive the attack. "Time to convince you, Rita." Using the Noblemans effect, Dakar could special summon a Gravekeeper from his deck in face-down defense position. He used it to set a Gravekeepers Descendant. "My turn!" Dakar flipped the Descendant, the blonde gravekeepers prince(4/2000/1700), who stood on clouds of sand. "Descendant can sacrifice a Gravekeeper to destroy a card you control!" Dakar normal summoned a Gravekeepers Recruiter, the bald summoner(1700/2000) of the tombkeepers. "I destroy your monster!" The Descendant prince ordered the Recruiter to give its life up. The Gravekeeper passed away, and its spirit lashed out at the Frozen bird, breaking it into a dozen ice shards. "Direct attack!" With his opponent wide open, Dakar made his Keeper attack her directly.

Rita's LP: 6000

"Kyah!" One strike from the Descendant caused more pain than she had expected. "Convince me? By hurting me? Is this kind of torture what made you start believing Azars crazy stories?" She growled and pushed the Gravekeeper Descendant back to Dakar. "That pain is energy, Rita.. chaos energy. Feel it, like I did. It will clear your mind." Dakar placed a trap card down and ended hus turn. This turn he had also used Gravekeeper Recruiters effect to add a new Gravekeeper with 1500 or less defense points, Gravekeepers Oracle, from his deck to his hand.

"All I feel is sickness. Listening to you is a waste of time!" Rita drew her next card. "Since you control 2 spells or traps, I can summon Essha the Frost Vassal from my hand." The servant(4/800/1000) of the ice monarch appeared and started meditating on an ice platform. "Then I normal summon Snowman Creator. It creates ice counters for each water monster on the field!" Her next monster also stayed airborne. A mechanical snowman machine(4/1600/1000) was switched on, and its conveyor belt rolled out two ice counters, made from its own and Essha's water particles. The ice counters were placed on the Gravekeeper Descendant. "Xyz-summon!" Her next move involved overlaying Essha with the Snowman to forma rank 4 monster. _"Her Number? No.."_ It was not Ragnazero that she summoned, but a reptilian titan(4/2200/800) made from pure ice.

"I am not an idiot who risks their Number on the first turn in a one-on-one duel! Something like that was probably what made you lose!" Rita detached a material from her new Xyz-monster. "This is Snowdust Giant. It can create Ice Counters for each water monster in my hand. And every non-water monster loses 200 attackpoints for each Ice counter that exists!" Rita revealed three monsters; SirenOrca, Snowdust Dragon and Mobius the Mega Monarch. "I place all on your Descendant." The Snowdust Titan opened its maws and spewed out a storm of snow that buried the Gravekeeper prince. Now he(4/1000/1700) had five ice counters stuck to his body. "By the way..were you paying attention, Dakar?" Rita's eager fingers grabbed one of the monsters she had revealed earlier. "SnowDust Dragon can be special summoned by removing four ice counters from the field. Weeeell, I should do that, don't you agree?" All but one Ice Counter on Dakars monster melted away into a pool of water. The pool crystallized into a solid being, a glass-like ice dragon(8/2800/1800). "If your energy hurts me now, mine will hurt you too, right!?" Rita sent Snowdust to crush the Descendant(1800/1700) with one claw.

Dakars LP: 7200

Dakar winced. "Ngh." It did hurt. This was a new feeling. Power like what he used to wield was now poison to his body. "Rite of Spirit!" He did not need to get hit again. "I special summon Gravekeepers Nobleman from the graveyard!" The apostle returned to defend his master. "Bah!" Rita would have to sette for an attack on it, instead of a direct attack. Snowdust Giant crushed the Nobleman with its ice club. "Fine, summon your monster. Oh no, what could it be?" Rita was not affraid. Not even when the monster turned out to be a the jackal-mask wearing high priest: Gravekeepers Visionary(8/3100/1800). "It is this one, and it is my turn." Dakar drew his card, ignoring his shaking arms for now. _"I need to 'speak' with her in a better way. At this rate, I can not win..not without.."_

Dakar placed a spell down and.. "I activate the continuous spell, Mounds of the Bound Creator! Now all level 10 or higher monsters can not be targeted or destroyed by card effects!" Three stone pillars rose from the sand, chained together by iron links. "The level 10 monster I summon is this one: Gravekeepers Oracle! I can normal summon it with just 1 gravekeeper as a tribute!" The Visionary served as the sacrifice for the ultimate keeper; Gravekeepers Oracle(10/2500/2000). The master with the golden beard could immediately take power from its sacrifice. He(4100/2000) drew 200 attackpoints from each of the Visionary's level star. "I attack Snowdust Dragon!" The Oracle raised his staff and turned into a real snake. The snake coiled around the icy dragon and destroyed it with its iron grip.

Rita's LP: 4700

"Oh and Mounds of Bound Creator inflicts 1000 damage whenever a level 10 card destroys a monster!" Dakar said as he started to fly away from Rita. "Hey? Where do you think you are going?" Rita and Snowdust Dragon pursued him, as he moved towards the place where he had planted the stone pillars of the Creator. He stopped on top of the largest tower in Neo Avalon. "What was the point of that? Kheh!" There the effect damage from the continuous spell struck Rita in the form of holy lightning bolts that were channeled through the chains. "I have had enough of your jokes. I do not know why you are the one stalling for time, but playtime is over." Rita placed her hand on top of her deck and started to cackle. "I bet you cant do this anymore, can you?!" The card exploded with light and she pulled it out. "I activate Rank-up-Magic: The. Seventh. One!" The moment had come. "Rgh." Dakar shielded his face from the red light, as the spell xyz-summoned her Chaosnumber. The ice witch Ragnafinity(5/2800/2400) appeared, using Ragnazero as its xyz-material.

Rita's LP: 3700

"You do know you can not target my monster with its effect, Rita?" Mounds of the Bound Creator would protect his Oracle, even if it had more then its original attackpower right now. "Oh! I forgot! How silly of me!" Rita gasped in an exaggerated manner. "...Is what a moron would say! I special summon Frozen Phoenix!" By banishing Snowman Creator and Essha from her graveyard, the shattered phoenix could rise from its icy ashes. Though that trick would only work once. "More! I activate Swamp Mirrorer!" Rita had a monster trap card as well. The trap flipped face-up and formed a halfdead man(4/1800/800) covered in swamp-gunk. "Swamp Mirrorer can assume any type and attribute it wants. I will choose.. fish and water." The swampman turned pale blue and gained gills. "Why Fish? Easy! I can special summon SirenOrca when I have a water-type winged beast and fish monster on my field!" Yet another creature appeared from the unseen waters, a mermaid(5/2200/1000) with green wings. Rita did not care to explain it, but the Sirens effect also modified the levels of her fish monsters like Swamp Mirrorer(5/1800/800) and Frozen Phoenix(5/1600/600). Yet that was not the real threat.

"Rita. Before you summon your Monarch!" Dakar akar had seen it when she used the effect of Snowdust Giant. If she summoned Mega Mobius, he would not be able to chain any cards to the effect of Megamobius if it was tribute summoned with water-monsters. "I activate Book of Moon, and switch Ragnafinity to face-down defense position!" He flipped his quickplay spell, and targeted Chaosnumber103. "Book of Moon?" Rita was forced to change the position of Ragnafinity(45/2800/2400). She could not flip it back up, as she had summoned the card this turn. "Agh! You were this close to your crushing defeat! Tch, whatever! I tribute summon Mega Mobius!" She tributed Swamp Mirrorer(5/1800/800) and Snowdust Giant(4/2200/800), to summon the Mega emperor of ice(8/2800/1000). Its effect destroyed Dakars remaining spells: Necrovalley and Mounds of the Bound Creator.

"What.. are you doing?" Now Dakar started wading through his deck, much to Rita's confusion. "When Mounds of the Bound Creator is destroyed, I can add a Divine Beast monster from my deck to my hand." Dakar said as he drew a strange level 10 monster from his deck. "Divine.._What_?"

...

"I do not understand why Dakar flew over there? He wanted a better battleground?" Korose and the others were still watching the duel from afar, hidden by Dakars last illusion cloak. It would drop if Dakar was to lose, however Azar did not want to leave Dakar behind. If Dakar won, they would gain another ally too. "It gave him no advantage. It makes no sense." Necara did not have the answer. Neither did Azar... at first. "Oh!" Except then Azar remembered what had happened there, who gained her Overhundred number here. "That building is the Etemenank! That is where Claud died!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 19: Wake)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Descendant  
Gravekeepers Visionary

-  
Royal Tribute  
Mounds of the Bound Creator  
Book of Moon

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley  
**Frozen Phoenix  
Snowdust Giant  
Siren Orca  
Mobius the Mega Monarch

-  
Salvage

-  
Swamp Mirrorer


	20. (Cipher 185): Wake

**(Cipher 185) 19: Wake**

"You know. For once I'd like Chaos to be at a nice place. Its always factories, airports and schools." The search for Chaos at the powerplant gone on for a while. Yet aside from witness statements about a mysterious white-haired entity roaming the halls, there were no results. "I feel like I have seen half the world, and it all looks the same." It had reached a point where Ion felt comfortable enough to just air his thoughts. "Careful. One could mistake you for Rita or Claud if you talk like that." Xander quipped. He had taken a break as well anyway. It was clear to him that Chaos was not here anymore. Their third partner thought differently however. "How could he have gotten away?" Subito was still checking every corner, freezing time whenever possible. He had sensed Azars energy. "Could he have broken through the barrier?" A three-layered barrier had been placed around the building. As far as they knew, Azar could not force his way through them without them knowing about it.

"Wait. Just a second." Xander could not answer yet though. His phone was ringing. "It's Claud." He held it against his ear. "..Oh. Oh that is not good... Subito. There was an attack at your place."

"WHAT!? An attack!? How? Who? What happened?" Subito shouted with anger. "Ruby, at the very least. She dueled Judith and Deckard, but they are at least okay." Whether anyone else had been there, Claud could not say. But Judith and Deckard still had their numbers. "What about Shin?" Subito could care less about those two right now. "He is..missing." Xander had to give him the bad news eventually. Subito turned pale, and silent as the grave. "...They took him?" Ion took his turn to ask a question. "Possibly. They took his Number too and...Subito?" In the middle of Xanders account, Subito walked away from them. He stopped in front of a wall. "He made me his fool." He growled and slammed the wall with his fist. "I should never have left! But I.. This is my..!" Had he not considered catching Azar to be more worthy of his time, than guarding his own family. This would never have happened. "Subito. Don't throw this on yourself. Take it from me, that never helps." Ion approached him, but Subito pushed him away. "I do not blame myself."

"I hold Azar responsible, for everything!"

...

Dakars LP: 7200 Rita's LP: 3700

Dakars spells were gone, his Gravekeepers Oracle(10/3600/1500) had lost his field boost and its immunity to destuctive and targeting effect. However Dakar had gained a new card when Mounds of the Bound Creator was destroyed. It was a card that made Rita's visor go haywire. "Divine Beast? Divine attribute? Those were never a thing!" Such a classification was unheard of. "They were not in this world, no. Not until now.. This is a card given to me by the divider of Numbers, Rita. Its power is equivalent to theirs."

"The divider of Numbers? Do you even _know_ what you are saying, Dakar?" Rita flicked her hand dismissively. "I don't have time for this BS!" She grabbed SirenOrca(5/2200/1000) and Frozen Phoenix(5/1600/1600). "By using two level 5 winged beasts as the material, I can Xyz-summon Ice Princess Zereort!" Her two monsters sank into a pool of water, which froze over. The frost was pierced then by her Xyz-monster; a dark-blue harpie princess(5/2500/2100) with armor and wings of ice. "This monster was intended as a back up Ragnafinity. But now.. it will lead the charge! By detaching a material, Zereort can reduce a monsters attack to zero points!" The Ice Princess spread its arms and made it rain giant hailstones. They crushed the Gravekeeper Oracle(0/1500) with their weight. "Attack!" Zereort then came to claim the life of its target. She decapitated the pinned down Keeper king with one swing from its pike-axe. "And again!" Rita showed no remorse and ordered Mobius the Mega Monarch(8/2800/1000) to attack Dakar directly. The Monarch punched the rooftop of the tower and made an icicle appear underneath his opponent. "Gah!" Dakar had to dodge out of the way and would have fallen of the tower, had he not possessed the power of levitation. "..." Even Rita shuddered, though she did not know why.

Dakars LP: 1900

"You are starting to remember, aren't you?" Dakar moved back to the tower. "This place, you dueled here before. People were tormented here before and are again now.." The Rita that Pandora controlled would not remember that, everyone's memories of the catalysts had been erased. "Shut up with the dramatics. I dont want you to get hurt. Ariel would never forgive me." Rita hissed and ended her turn. "I do not want to harm you either, Rita. Neither does Azar. But..the truth sometimes hurts." Dakar drew his card. _"Good." _He activated it right away. "I play Monster Reborn, and special summon Ra's Disciple from my graveyard!" His spell resurrected an Egyptian servant(4/1100/600) wearing a golden armor and mantle. Its helmet was shaped like a winged dragon. "That card? That was what you discarded with Royal Tribute? I..hey!" Rita blinked twice, to make sure she was seeing it right. Not one, but three Ra's Disciples(4/1100/600) had appeared. "When Ra's Disciple is summoned, he can summon two more Disciples from the deck. The Disciple can only be tributed for a divine beast. Nor can I special summon any monsters the turn I summon it. But.. a divine beast required three tributes." Dakar took his three monsters and sent them to the skies. "Your divine beast?" The clouds parted as if god himself had commanded it, and a lightning bolt struck Etemenank.

"I summon Obelisk the Tormentor!"

God had appeared. Dakars summoned monster appeared as a hulking blue colossus(10/4000/4000). It overshadowed the tallest skyscrapers. "What on earth?" It could not be missed from anywhere in Neo Avalon, least of all Azars hiding place. "What is that? When did he get a card like that?" Ruby tried to get data on it, but her visor offered nothing. "You..gave this to him?" Korose wondered aloud, and looked to Azar. "Yes. I did. Part of me did. Something I never had the chance to tell you, after my return from the infinite world, was that Terminus had given me more than just its powers when it fused with Chaos. It gave me access to its ability to create divinity. When I dueled Terminus,it made the Etheric gods. Now I have made my own gods. However I did not make them for me.. Dakar was the original Chaos, he deserved to share in Terminus' power as well."

"Obelisks summon can not be stopped. Obelisk can not be targeted by your card effects either, Rita!" If Dakar had intended it, he could have left Zereort alive without consequence. But there was no need to risk it. "Obelisk! Destroy the Ice Princess!" His god clenched its hand and delivered a powerful straight punch towards Zereort. The force alone sent it flying beyond the horizon. "Gah!" This time Rita nearly fell of the tower. "No!" At the last second she managed to stay afloat as well.

Rita's LP: 2200

"You think you can scare me?" She shouted as she flew back to her monsters side. By now Dakar had ended his turn. "God? Pfah, what a joke! What can a god do against a Number? Only numbers can kill Numbers!" She flipped Number C103 back face-up. It still had all of its xyz-materials, but no monster to target. "You can't win unless you can destroy it! And I will not let you!" She switched Mobius to defense position and set the trap card she had drawn in her draw phase. "I do not need to win. Ariel and the others will have noticed my radio silence by now. The clock is ticking, Dakar!"

"That is why I chose _this_ divine beast." The turn was passed to Dakar. "Azar created three 'gods' for me; each with their own powers." He started to explain and normal summoned a strange new monster; a tiny gold/orange pendulum(1/100/300). "Cosmic Compass?" This was a monster Rita's visor did have data on. When a Cosmic Compass was normal summoned it created one Compass-token for each monster on the enemy's field. Rita controlled two monsters. "Gods require sacrifices." The Compass summoned two tokens(1/0/0) in defense position. "Obelisk can tribute two monsters.." With both its hands, the Tormentor grabbed Cosmic Compass and one of the Compass tokens. They were crushed. "to destroy all monsters you control!" Electric energy escaped from Obelisks grip, charging the gods entire body. "Rita! Here it.."

"God? Sacrifice? I never took you for the religious type, Dakar. Is this something that Azar made you believe? Is Chaos your god now?" Rita cut off Obelisks charge-up, by activating her trap card. "I activate Diamond Dust! All water monsters on the field are destroyed! You also lose 500 lifepoints for each destroyed monster!" A tempest of absolute zero temperatures broke out. Obelisk and the earth-type Compass token were unphased by it, but the bodies of Mega Mobius and Ragnafinity froze completely and shattered like a smashed vase. "Kgh. You destroyed them before I could." Dakar crossed his arms as diamond shrapnel scattered across the playing field, slashing past his clothes and skin.

Dakars LP: 900

"Just because Chaos can make 'gods'' does not make him one, Dakar! If there is such a thing, it is on the side of the Numbers! Look." Rita extended her right arm, calling the diamond dust back towards her. "My Chaosnumber is the real immortal power. If Ragnazero is in the graveyard, and Ragnafinity died while it held an attached material, it can special summon itself back from my graveyard!" The body of the ice-cold funeral maiden was re-assembled piece by piece and placed in defense position. "Your Obelisk can't kill it, only your Number can!" Obelisk could not attack during the turn it used its power. Not that that mattered now anyway. "You can not do it, can you?" She immediately sneered at him. "Poor Dakar. You could use its power, but you are too affraid to use it! Am I right?"

Dakar did not let himself get provoked. He mused over something else she had said. "Immortality; another power the Numbers promised us." The ability to live beyond a humans lifespan, that had been the desire of the woman who built this city. Yet here they were now, still living as mortals. "To us, their world would be like heaven. The Numbers would be angels..or even gods." Dakar had dealt with many religions in his role as only son of the Serin funeral business. Their belief was still divided, but they most now believed in only one creator. "What on earth are you talking about Dakar?" Rita did not share his knowledge, and did not get where all this rambling came from. "The immortality promised by the Numbers can not be genuine. Yet she has shown proof of it. Rita.." Dakar placed one trap card down and ended his turn. "The past that I remember had dealt with loss.. and death. But now that death has been forgotten, and those who died with a Number were recreated. But they are not real, they can not be. I did not want to be the one to tell you this, but..."

..the Claud you know is dead."

"What!?" Rita's body tensed up. "What did you just say?" She had heard him speak of an impossibility, the same lie Azar tried to pass of. Yet her heart was beating, aching. "Claud died here, on this very towertop. He dueled alongside you to fight against the Numbers, died to save you." He clarified himself. But he did not enjoy a single word of what he had to say. "Is. is this all a big joke to you guys? Why would you say that? Why would I believe this?" She screamed. He was making it up, he had to be! "Because you awakened your Number at that time, here on this very building. Ragnazero, if it is aware at all, knows it. So deep down you know it as well. This is no illusion. The deception is the Claud that follows you around now." Dakar did not know how Pandora had done it, but he could not believe she could so easily resurrect someone. Otherways, Rita would never have been made to forget his death ever happened.

Rita felt a tear roll down her cheek. She had no idea why. "I hate you." The girl wiped her face. "You are wrong!" She drew her card in her turn and activated it. "Claud will be here soon, he will be here to help me stop you! Then we will rip this disgusting story out of your head and everything will be normal again!" She activated a continuous spell card: Zero Requiem. "I use Zero Requiem and attach a card from the graveyard to my Xyz-monster!" Mobius the Mega Monarch was placed underneath Ragnafinity, resetting its revival effect. "You can not kill my Number, no matter how many times your god tries!"

_Zero Requiem, Continuous Spell  
__Once per turn, during either players turn, you can attach 1 monster from your graveyard to 1 Xyz monster you control as an Xyz-material.  
__If this effect is used, the Xyz-monsters effect(s) are negated for the rest until your next standby phase._

"What I can and must do.. is tell you the truth." Dakar started his turn, his last turn. He could sense three overhundred numbers approaching, he did not have any more time. "I sacrifice the last token to tribute summon Gravekeepers Chief." The compass token was exchanged for the other priest of the keepers clan, the hooded chief(5/1900/1200). "Its effect can revive one Gravekeeper from the cemetery!" The Chief waved his staff around and chanted an ancient spell to bring the Gravekeepers Visionary(8/2800/1800) back to life. This Higher priest regained 200 attackpoints for each Gravekeeper in their cemetery. "They attack Ragnafinity!" Rita's continuous spell had sealed her monsters effects. Now any monster could kill it, even a non-Number. Using Obelisks power would be less useful right now. "Imbecile! Once my Number is in the graveyard, its powers will not be sealed anymore! That means I can bring her back again!"

"No. You can not." Dakar flipped his trap card: Magicians Circle. "When a spellcaster attacks, both players can summon spellcasters with less than 2000 attackpoints, from their deck and in attack position! All GraveKeepers are spellcasters!" Azars magic circle summoned a new Gravekeeper, a blindfolded female witch doctor(6/1500/2300). Her defense was raised by 200 points for each Gravekeeper in the cemetery. "This is Gravekeepers Shaman. While she is on the field, effects in the graveyard can not be activated!" Dakar continued his attack after that brief explanation. "Huh?!" And Gravekeepers Visionary smashed the defending Ragnafinity. "You're..serious." Rita tried to set off her Chaosnumbers revival ability, but the Shaman kept her graveyard under lock and seal. "No.." With no other monsters to defend her she could not fend off Obelisk, let alone the rest of Dakars Gravekeeper army. "You will not take me away from Claud, you will not make me believe.. You.." She could deny it as much as her heart desired, but her defeat was unavoidable. Rather than letting her feel the direct touch of god, Dakar sent the Gravekeeper Shaman and Chief to deliver the final blows. "Rhaaaaaahhh!"

Rita's LP: 0

"Now!" It was then that Azar teleported to the top of the Etemenank. "Remember, Rita. Remember everything!" Dakar was tied to Azars power, this was the push they needed to force the light of Terminus and Chaos into her subconscious, and into her Number. "No... No, no, no!" The memories started flooding back, all the good and bad. "I don't want to remember! I.." She could not fight it, it was her true self. "CLAUD!" That moment could not stay forgotten. She grabbed her head and stared down the tower.. all the way down. "He is gone. Oh my god... he really.." It had really happened, she had seen it happen. "It had to be done." Azar could not sense Pandora's essence inside her of her number, the shock had severed that bond. "I am sorry, but we need to leave. I already taken the others to a safe location." Azar could sense two more of the Seven approaching, and fast.

In fact they were already here. "Ah!" Ariel and Claud both dropped out of teleport-speed and floated above the tower. "Claud!?" Rita's eyes darted towards the sky. "Rita?" Claud saw that she was crying and.. she looked at him with utter dread. "Dakar..don't tell me its true." Ariel on the other hand could only look at her brother with pain. He stood side by side with Azar, with Chaos. That said it all. "Why did you..betray me?" She should have listened to Rita, she should have come here sooner. "Ariel.. I." Dakar had no words. He was not ready. "Tch." Azar grabbed both Dakar and Rita and vanished. There had been enough victories for one day. "No!" Ariel and Claud could not stop them.

...

Azars new hiding spot was an old restaurant in a city across the globe. It had been closed down for some time. They had enough time to rest and recover. "Geez. I knew things were suspicious, but this is beyond nuts!" Shin had regained consciousness during that time, and he had been told everything. "Mom and dad, Natasha and Sky; why can't we go and get them too?" He made his desires clear, yet things were not that easy. "I wish we could, but they will see us as an enemy." Korose tried to get Shin to sit still, but he was too nervous. "Enemy? But they're my family!" He simply could not grasp what the world had become. "And that means nothing, not to them or to It. Going back is suicide." Necara was a bit more crude with her rejection of Shins proposal. "Nor can we stay here, or flee from place to place. It grows tiring." She turned her criticisms towards Azar. They were supposed to be fighting back. Ruby even agreed with her. "Yeah, we cant keep fighting old friends or chasing leads. We need to strike a critical area."

"Darcy."

"Eh?" The voice that answered was Rita. She had been hunched down in the corner of the room ever since she arrived here. She was done crying now. "You need to find Darcy. She knows more than anyone. She is Kapha's messenger." Their conversation had caught her attention, made her remember something very important. "Kapha has a messenger? Dakar..did you know?" Azar had not heard of this development at all. "I knew Kapha was going to send a contact, but I never got to meet the person because I was chasing Ruby. Darcy was the one?" He asked and Rita nodded. "Wait, Kapha has messages? That nutjob is still alive?" Ruby was pretty sure she had seen the man die and be absorbed by Pandora. They all had witnessed it. "Kapha may be a cover, an identity the Seven and all of the agency would listen to. It would be easy for the Eight to mimic his voice." It should have been supicious enough that Kapha never met anyone in person. "Darcy must be speaking for Pandora directly then." Rita started to understand why Darcy drew information from seemingly nowhere. "But why her?"

"Darcy.. was the first person that Pandora possessed after I turned off its original body; Esther. Perhaps she still is under her control..." A plan took form in Azars head. "Let us find out."

(To be Continued in Cipher 19: Stitched Together)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Ra's Disciple  
Obelisk the Tormentor  
Cosmic Compass  
Gravekeepers Chief  
Gravekeepers Shaman

-  
Magicians Circle

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley**  
Ice Princess Zereort

_-  
Zero Requiem_


	21. (Cipher 186): Stitched Together

**(Cipher 186) 20: Stitched Together**

At agency headquarters, four of the Seven assessed the damage. Two of their own had joined Azars side. Subito was still out there scouring Neo Avalon and hunting the man who had taken his brother. "The way she looked at me, its like she did not even recognize me." Claud still could not get that glare of Rita out of his head. Ariel was too distraught to speak. "They have Rita, and Dakar. They could be anywhere now." Xander surmised that things could not get much worse. Rita's Number worked best against the illusions Dakar's Number could cast. "Can we not break through his masks with another Number, like some sort of see-all card?" Ion asked, figuring there had to be one Number with a power like that. "Unfortunately no Number can overpower an Overhundred Numbers power. Kapha specifically designed them that way." Darcy shot that hope down. "He also says it is no use hunting them now and I agree. You need to rest, the agents will monitor our friends. Kapha promises that he is working on a new method to counter Chaos.."

They had have to make due with those promises, as Darcy left them alone. While Claud slinked away, Ariel lingered in the control room. "He took Dakar..again." On the screen she could monitor Subito's progress. "I should be with him." Subito had not found any sign of Chaos so far, and there was no saying if he ever would. "Ut omnia operatur" She heard Xander say suddenly. "What was that?" The words she did not understand. "Just a saying I like to tell myself when in college, its latin for 'everything will work out'." He chuckled. Latin made everything sound more profound. "You think that?" Ariel wishes she could share his optimism. "If your brother is half as a good at masking himself, as you always said he was; looking for him wont do you any good. But Dakar will come for us, and for you. That is certain. We just need to wait and be patient... Time is on our side, not theirs."

...

Where Darcy was going, no other human had ventured freely. Far from the main building, yet connected by a long series of elevators, stairs and subway tunnels, was an underground level. It lied even lower then the healing chambers, hidden behind many seals. The second-to-last room in the sequence was a wide open chamber, lined up with rows and rows of black blocks. They were hard drives. Each of them had a wire running upwards and into the ground. There was one other door on the other side of the room, and Darcy was about to unlock it.. "Oh. Of course." But she stopped herself, and turned around. "The one place where I can not bring the Seven. This is where you are going to ambush me.." She spoke to someone she could not see, but _could_ feel.

"How...did you know?" Azar, Dakar, Korose, Necara and Shin stepped out of the invisible dome. There was no point in hiding anymore. "It's just the five of you? I was hoping to see you all." Rita and Ruby were not there because they had formed the backup line. If they needed to, they would bail them out. "I knew you'd try to find me, because Rita would have told you about me.. Well, you have me. Ask me anything, and I will see what I can do."

"Darcy. Why are you here, why are you working for the agency.. " Azar simply went straight for the big question. "Oh we do not have to pretend here, you and I both know the agency is not who I am working for." She in turn was surprisingly forthcoming. "You know? You know Kapha really is Pandora? Then.." Dakar looked around the room. "Is this..the new quantum computer? Is this where 'she' now lives?" The one at Kapha's old hive that had been decommissioned seemed to be the same size as this collection of drives seemed. "Actually, Kapha is still with us. But yes I know about her. I know what she did and is going to do. No, she is not in there. This is just collected data." Darcy said tapping one of the hard drives. "Is she in you then? Has she taken you over!?" Shin yelled. "That's not it either, Shin." She responded as she placed her hand on her chest. "This is still my body. Pandora does not need to be physical anymore, she is pure thought. She does not just _see_ what we see, she lives our lives. You should realize that you are fighting something you can not defeat. You can not go against her unless you 'free' every last person."

"You knew, and you helped her still? I do not understand why you would to this." Korose may not have known Darcy that well, but he could not imagine her willingly betraying her friends. Pandora had to be influencing her. "Loyalty, for me, is not a matter of what you believe. It's what you can feel and touch." Darcy cracked her knuckles. "I know this feels right, this world feels right. I want to make sure it stays that way. So.." Darcy suddenly jumped on top of one of the blocks. "You are going to have to convince me the other way, if you want to go beyond this chamber." She took out a D-pad. "A duel? Why?" Necara did not see why they'd need her permission when they could just teleport to the next room. Except.. "You felt it when you came inside, didn't you? You can't get deeper down than this."

"She is right. I tried.." Azar had wanted to warp further, but couldn't. "There must be some form of barrier." Whatever it was, it was stronger than Xanders own forcefields, which he already had trouble breaking through. "Then we could get the 103rd." Necara suggested. "That wont do, Ann. These barriers were designed to counteract even Rita's powers." Darcy dashed that idea, much to Necara's irritation. "My name is Necara." She corrected her. "Oh. I am sorry, Necara. Still, I will let you play with me.. But I will choose my opponent. Hmmm, you!" Darcy pointed at Shin "Me?" He gasped. "If Azar, Dakar or Necara happen to defeat me, they could purify my Number. I do not want that. But if you do it, I promise I will let everyone inside the last chamber. That is the least I can do.." Darcy slowly shuffled her cards, waiting for the answer. "Okay then!" Shin responded without hesitation and climbed his way on top of another hard drive. "Azar, guys, leave it to me!" Shin activated his D-pad. "You can do it, Shin." Azar nodded.

Shins LP: 8000 Darcy's LP: 8000

"I am glad that now I get to say I've dueled both Artegas. Though I am curious, why did you come with Azar, Shin? This is a dangerous place." Darcy let Shin have the first turn. "Because Pandora brainwashed my friends and family; that's why! And... because my dad knows something and I can't ask him about it. But I can ask you!" Shin summoned Gagaga Gardna(4/1500/2000) in attack mode and placed two cards in his spell/trap zones. That was it for his turn. "Oh yes. Mister Artega, he was doing work for us. A lot of people were." Darcy smiled and drew her card. "Work? Working on what?" Shin inquired loudly. Darcy just flicked her finger. "Not telling." She placed two trap cards down and summoned her monster; a furry critter(3/1000/700) with a pirate bandana and eyepatch. "This is Kuribandit. I can tribute it to see the top 5 cards of my deck during the endphase. One I can keep and the rest are discarded." Darcy proceeded to end her turn, and the Kuriboh pirate checked the contents of her deck. Four cards (Zombowwow, 2 Porcelain Dolls and Bone Temple Block) were discarded while a Photon Veil was added to her hand.

"That was..your turn?" She had left herself defenseless. If Shin had enough firepower, he could defeat her right now. "I summon Star Drawing! So I can overlay him with Gagaga Gardna." An imp-sized spellcaster(4/1600/1000) jumped down on the boxes and waved its wand around. It and the shieldbearing Gardna attached to each other and formed Shins latest Xyz-monster. "I Xyz-summon Gagaga Samurai!" It was a duel-wielding samurai wearing an orange scarf and red/black robes. "Gagaga Samurai can let a Gagaga monster attack twice in one turn!" Azar detached Gagaga Gardna and let the Samurai target itself. It took out two swords. "Also.. When Star Drawing is used an Xyz-material, I can draw one card!" Shin drew a spell card from his deck. "_Excellent!"_

_"_I activate Gagagawind! I can special summon another Gagaga monster from my hand, if I already have on on the field." Azars spell used the presence of Gagaga Samurai to call a female Gagaga. "Gagaga Mancer!" This necromancer(4/100/100) donned a red cape and golden visor mask. "Gagaga Mancer can use her necromancy to summon a Gagaga monster from the graveyard." The Mancer stabbed the virtual graveyard with her ankh-hilted sword, and dug out Gagaga Gardna. The guarder returned in attack position. "I can not special summon any monsters besides Gagaga monsters during the turn this effect is used. So I wont Xyz-summon again. But.." Shin swept his arm forward, directing his Gagaga army towards Darcy. "I can declare a triple direct attack!" Gagaga Gardna charged in first.

"Trap card. Limit Reverse." And Darcy defended herself. "I summon a monster with 1000 attackpoints or less from my graveyard, in attack position." One of her discarded monsters; a stitched-up zombie puppy(2/1000/1000), was placed before the Gagagas, "Shin! Be careful! If you destroy that thing.." Azar could not help but warn Shin. "I know already, that monster is Zombowwow!" But Shin was one step ahead. He had the Samurai smash the zombie dog. Its destruction triggered its effect. "Now it summons a monster with 0 defense and attackpoints from the deck, right?" He did not need his visor to tell this. "You've been studying, Shin." Darcy used Zombowwow's effect to special summon a Box of Friends(1/0/0) in defense position. Its effects were negated by Zombowwow, but only while it stayed on the field.

Darcy: 7100

"I studied every card that legally exists, Darcy!" Shin smirked and sent Gagaga Mancer to stab through the gift box monster. Weak the Necromancer might have been, but she could at least kill that box. "Very nice." Darcy in turn activated the effect of Box of Friends from her graveyard. It special summoned two normal monsters with different names and 0 defense points from her deck. A fragile Porcelain girl doll(2/100/0) and a broken dollhead Doll Part Blue(2/0/0) were spat out in defense mode by the box. "Thank you." Shin took the compliment and used Gagaga Samurai's remaining attack to smash the summoned dolls along with Gagaga Gardna.

_Porcelain Doll, 1/100/0 Light/Fiend/Normal  
__A fragile doll made from the purest bisque porcelain. One wrong touch could shatter her into a thousand pieces._

_Doll Part Blue, 2/0/0 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Head_

"You are welcome, Shin. There is no reason we can't still be friends just because we see things differently." It was Darcy's turn again, Shin had run out of attacks and cards to play. "And thank _you_, for preparing my cemetery." She activated her second trap card. "Backup Soldier; as my graveyard holds more than 5 monsters, I can take back 3 monsters that have no effects." She backed up her hand by taking three Porcelain Dolls out of the graveyard. "Not so fast, Darcy!" Shin activated his set card as well. "Quickplay spell card: Shared Ride! Every time you add cards to your hand, outside of drawing them, I can draw one card!" This effect would last the entire turn, so Shin could already draw once. "I see. Well then, this should make you happy." Darcy activated the Photon Veil spell card in her hand. "Photon Veil returns three light monsters to my deck, and adds three new light monsters with the same name to my hand." Darcy reshuffled the Porcelain Doll cards into her deck, trading them for three Toy Knight cards. Meanwhile Shin could draw again due to Shared Ride.

"Toy Knights?" Shin heard of those cards too. "Aye. If a player controls no monsters, they can summon one Toy Knight from their hand." Darcy placed the first knight(4/200/1200) made from lego-like blocks on the field. "And when one Toy Knight is special summoned, they can summon another from a players hand." The first Knight set off a series of fireworks, announcing the summoning of its second copy(4/200/1200). That second Knight's effect activated likewise, and brought out her third Knight(2/200/1200). "I suppose I have never outgrown toys; dolls or blocks.." Darcy let out a satisfied sigh, before moving on to the next phase of her plan. "I overlay two of my Knights to Xyz-summon Princess Cologne." The block warriors were taken apart and converted to matter and energy that crafted a new toy; a gothic-styled princess doll(500/2200). "Remember her?" This card was quite rare, but Shin did not look disconcerted.

"I do. She summons Box of Friends from the graveyard when she is summoned." He knew the effects of the card well enough. "That is right." Darcy brought the Box of Friends back in attack-position.. Only to immediately send it back. "For my turns normal summon, I will tribute Box of Friends and the last Toy Knight. I tribute summon Mindless, the Doll of Delirium!" The Knight and Box disappeared under a new toy, a musical box with a spinning ballerina(8/2600/2700) on top. Only this ballerina had the smile of a maniac. "Mindless can summon another like her to my field, whenever she is summoned." The music box started playing a cacaphonous disjointed tune, and the ballerina began to dance on it. During that dance a second Doll of Delirium appeared.

_Mindless - Doll of Delirium, 8/2600/2700 Dark/Fiend  
__When this card is summoned: you can special summon 1 "Mindless - Doll of Delirium" monster from your hand or deck.  
__A monster that was summoned using this card as a Fusion/Synchro or Xyz Material is treated as a normal monster and has it effect(s) negated._

_"Two level 8 dark monsters?" _Korose recognized these kinds of materials. "You are going to summon Number 22." The card that Rita and Claud had taken from her.. was of course the one she had now. "I am. I overlay the two Mindless Dolls!" Delirium joined together into one mass of twistedness. "Come out, come out! Come Number 22!" A grotesque frankenstein-esque giant(8/4500/1000) was placed on top of them. "Zombiestein!" Shin braced himself as he saw the Number that Subito had forfeited against all that time ago. "Zombiestein.. attack Gagaga Mancer." The shrouded monster stomped towards Shins necromancer and raised a fist. "I activate Gagaga Samurai's effect!" Fortunately for Gagagamancer, the Samurai jumped in between the path of Zombiesteins punch. "It can redirect any attack towards itself and switch itself to defense position!" Gagaga Samurai crossed its swords and took the blow. Number 22's fist shattered both his blades and knocked him into the ground. "My my, that was cutting it close, wasn't it?" Darcy said and ended this turn.

"Too close. He has no Number. How can he beat something like that?" Dakar did not like Shins chances. Shin could not summon his own Number. "Its effect is negated." Necara saw an opening, but only one. "Hey, I can hear you!" Shin shouted towards the sidelines. "I am already on top of things! I have one or two ideas! Crazy ideas!" Shin reactivated Gagaga Mancers effect. This time she brought Gagaga Samurai back to life, in attack position. "I am going to xyz-summon Gagaga Cowboy!" Gagaga Gardna and Gagaga Mancer were attached to the second Gagaga-Xyz monster in his extra deck; the gunslinging Gagaga(4/1500/2400). "That one? Where is this going, Shin?" Darcy looked intrigued. "Wait and see. This is a magic show after all!" Shin followed it up with a spell card. "Gagagatag! Until my next turn; all Gagaga monsters will gain 500 attackpoints for each Gagaga monster on my field!" The card powered both the shooter(2500/2400) and swordsman(2900/1600), adding 500 points twice. "Is that enough?"

"It is, Darcy!" Shin entered the battle phase. "I will tell you why. When Gagaga Cowboy is in attack position, it can take 500 attackpoints from a monster it attacks.. and give 1000 attackpoints to itself!" The Gunner shot Zombiestein(4000/1000) to weaken it, and grabbed a second gun to boost his(3500/1000) own powers. It detached Gagaga Mancer as a cost for this effect. "And when Gagaga Mancer is detached from a Gagaga-Xyz monster, she can give that monster 500 more attackpoints!" The necromancers spiritual energy was added to the Cowboy(4000/2400)during its assault. "You are aiming for mutual destruction!" Korose understood the plan now: Zombiestein and Gagaga Cowboy had the same attackpoints. Shin and Darcy's Xyz monsters killed each other as their fists and guns met.

"Well done, Shin. You overcame my Number. I think you earned one answer." Darcy made another leap, landing on the block closest to the doorway. "One answer?" He followed her and so did Gagaga Samurai. "Take your time, think of a good question." In the mean time Darcy used Cologne's second ability. As Zombiestein had been a normal monster when it died, the Princess could detach one material and summon a new normal monster from the deck. She summoned a Doll Part Pink(2/800/0) to the field. "I am thinking!" Gagaga Samurai attacked and destroyed the broken doll torso instead. Princess Cologne could only be attacked if she was the only monster on Darcy's field. "Well in the mean time. I will take my turn." Princess Cologne detached her second and last material to summon a second Doll Part Pink(2/800/0) in defense mode, after the first one was killed.

_Doll Part Pink, 2/0/800 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Body_

"No. I have got it! Darcy, what is my dads connection with the ISA?" Shin asked her as his turn ended. "I expected something to that effect." Darcy drew her card and placed it on her lips. "I can tell you. Its not like you can not go after him right now."

"!? We can not?" Azar realized the meaning behind her words too late. He and Dakar could not teleport out of this room, not anymore. Yet it did not feel like a simple shield. "Of course. Pandora can not let the Seven see this place.. That does not mean it is unprotected. Shin... I will give you two answers for the prize of one." Darcy activated a spell card, Mimiclay. It mimicked one lowlevel defensive monster on the field, summoning a copy of it from the deck. The third and final Doll Part Pink(2/800/0) was summoned. 'Your father is stationed at an ISA science center, to assist the latest space project with his expertise in hardware design." That was one answer, a verbal one. "And this.. is what is keeping you here." Darcy overlayed the two pink torso parts. "Number 43: Manipulator of Souls!" The shadows below converged, spawning three puppet-like claws and one horned mask. It(2/0/0) was a Number, a puppetmaster holding strings in its hands. And those strings were attached to another monster, to Zombiestein. "Liliths first Number. Its power manipulates every body it sees..."

(To be Continued in Cipher 21: An Empire of Dolls)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Gagaga Samurai  
Gagaga Mancer

**New Cards used by Darcy Lawless  
**Kuribandit  
Zowbowwow  
_Porcelain Doll  
_Toy Knight  
_Mindless - Doll of Delirium  
_Number 43: Manipulator of Souls

-  
Photon Veil  
Mimiclay

-  
Limit Reverse  
Backup Soldier


	22. (Cipher 187): An Empire of Dolls

**(Cipher 187) 21: ****An Empire of Dolls**

Shins LP: 8000 Darcy's LP: 7100

"..you have a new Number? A second one?" Shin had already destroyed Zombiestein, Darcy's original Number. BNow that Number had become nothing more than an equipment for the new Number 43; Manipulator of Souls(2/0/0) the marionette demon. Number 43 detached one of its materials to turn Number 22 in the graveyard into a tiny puppet attached to several strings. "'Kapha' must have goven it to her. I received a special Number like it as well." Korose said 'Kapha', though it was more likely that it was Pandora who gave people these special cards. "But she said.. it was Liliths Number?" Dakar mentioned the other infamous name. Lilith had been one of the first Nine Numbers, a catalyst like Pandora. But every Catalyst had their own Number, before they gained one of the first Nine.

"I did say that. This was Liliths Number before Number 3. It is very similar. Pestilence Queen dominates the body... Manipulator of Souls asserts control in more subtle ways." Darcy's finger stroked the air in front of her, as if there was something thin to touch. "I placed 'strings' on Azar and Dakar at first, but the duel gave me enough time to put them on you all. For your own good, you are all stuck here." It had never been a barrier that kept them inside. "Number 43 has a neat ability in a duel as well, naturally." Darcy activated a spell card, Supremacy Berry. It would heal the users lifepoints by 2000 points if their life was lower than that of the opponents. "When my life goes up, its attackpoints go up while your lifepoints will go down, Shin." Darcy extended her hand to let the spell create a virtual bird that brought her the healing berries. "I have other plans, Darcy!" But Azar activated a trap. "Mystical Ref Panel! I redirect a spells effect from you to me!" A fairy appeared, holding a mirror. "Oh?" The bird was pushed back by the mirror and flew towards Shin instead. "You wont heal yourself, you will heal me!" Shin ate the berries and gained 2000 lifepoints. "Hmm, not much taste."

Shins LP: 10000

"Well, thats a slight setback." Darcy's Number could not gain attackpoints from another duelists healing sessions. "Yet as long as Zombiestein is equipped to the Manipulator, it can not be destroyed." She placed one trap card down and ended her turn. "Then I will just have to get rid of Zombiestein! Because if I kill your Number, I can free my friends, right?" Shin drew his next card. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" The spell-shattering magic knight(4/1600/1000) jumped into the fray, adding a spellcounter to its shield as it was normal summoned. "An equipped card can still be destroyed as a spell! Breaker, use your spellcounter to destroy her 'spell' card! " Breaker gave up its spellcounter and enfused its sword with magic energy. One swipe from that sword and the Zombiestein doll was cut loose from the puppeteering Number. "I equip Breaker with Wonder Wand." He gave his magical swordsman(2100/1000) a spell wand to boost its power by 500 points. "And.. attack!" Gagaga Samurai(4/1900/1600) had lost its powerboost from Gagagatag by now, but it could still deliver some lasting damage to Darcy by attacking the wide-open Manipulator along with Breaker.

"Ahem." Darcy flipped her trap card now. "I activate Tri and Guess! We get to play a little game. I declare one type of extra deck monster, and the player who has most of those cards in their extra deck.. wins 3000 lifepoints!" Darcy clasped her hands together. "I choose.. Fusion monsters." After her choice was made, both players extra decks were revealed. "What? Fusion? I have none of those!" Shins extra deck only had Xyz-monsters. Darcy's had three Doll Chimera fusion monsters. "Unfortunate." The trap resolved and her lifepoints shot up. "Number 43 now gains 3000 attackpoints and inflicts 3000 points of damage to your lifepoints!" The newly empowered Manipulator of Souls(3000/0) opened its mouth underneath its mask and lashed out with its tongue, hitting Shins legs. "Gah!"

Shins LP: 7000 Darcy's LP: 10100

Shin managed to regain his footing before he fell off his platform. "Oh boy." But as he had already declared an attack with Gagaga Samurai, more damage was waiting for him. "Gck!" His Xyz monster rammed itself against the Manipulator, and was torn apart by its many claws. "This Number is not that easy to kill.." He grumbled. If he did not do anything, who knew if he would even make it through the next turn? "I activate Wonder Wands second effect, I tribute the spellcaster it is equipped to, to draw two new cards!" Breaker and his Wand made themselves disappear, to give Shin access to two new cards. "Sorry everyone. I didn't get rid of it this turn." He then placed two cards from his hand down in his spell/trap zone and ended his turn. "Just focus on the duel, not on us." Azar said. If Shin did not keep his mind in the game, they would all lose.

Shins LP: 5900

"Drawing. That sounds like a good idea." Darcy started her turn again and activated her own draw spell. "Ancient Leaf: Because I have more than 10000 lifepoints, I can pay 2000 of them and draw 2 cards." Darcy could afford the cost so her hand was replenished. "Time for another game. I activate Heat &amp; Heal." This spell was similar to Tri and Guess, except it targeted the graveyard. "We choose one of our dead cards, and the one who chooses the strongest gains lifepoints equal to its attackpoints. The other gets a second battle phase."

_Heat &amp; Heal, Normal Spell  
__Both you and your opponent target 1 Monster in their graveyard.  
__The player who targeted the monster with higher ATK gains lifepoints equal to the ATK of the targeted monster.  
__The player who targeted the monster with lower ATK conducts their next battle phase twice._

Darcy's LP: 8100

"Huh? Choose?" Shin could pick anything he wanted, but.. "I pick this card." Darcy had selected Zombiestein, with 4500 attackpoints. There was no way to compete with that. "I choose Gagaga Cowboy." Shin only picked something because he had to. Thus Darcy gained 4500 lifepoints in total, and her Number(7500/0) absorhbed 4500 more attackpoints. "Be steady." Darcy let the Manipulators effect inflict its damage. "Eegh!" The crimson tongue slammed against him and started draining his life. "Shin!" Azar tried to move to catch him, but he could not even budge an inch anymore. The Manipulator had paralyzed his muscles. "Damn it!"

Darcy's LP: 12600 Shins LP: 1400

"I took damage so I can special summon Damage Mage from my hand!" Luckily, before Shin lost balance, he summoned his shrouded flying sorceress(2/600/1200) in defense mode and grabbed the spellcasters hand. "She restores all the lifepoints that I lost by a card effect!" Damage Mage opened her feathered cape and sent soothing life energy Shins way. "I am not going down, Darcy! Not until I find out what my dad is making!" Now he had a defense against her direct attacks as well. "Is that your next question? You had one already." Darcy then switched Princess Cologne(4/500/2200) to attack mode and activated a field spell card. "Ranking Zone. All Xyz monsters gain attackpoints during battle." The battle phase began, the field powered up the attacking Princess(1300/1400) four times as it added 200 attackpoints for each of her rank stars. "Your father did not mean for you to know. Nor did Pandora. If I told you, you would need to earn the answer." Cologne flattened the Damage Mage with her steel balloon. "Besides, it is better to be ignorant." And then Number 43(7900/0) prepared its claws for a direct attack.

Shins LP: 5900

_Ranking Zone, Field Spell  
__Xyz Monsters gain 200 ATK and lose 200 DEF x its Rank, during damage calculation only._

"It is never better to be ignorant!" Shin flipped his trap card; Magic Cylinder. "!" As the Soul Marionette unleashed its energy, one cylinder arose to swallow the attack. A second cylinder returned the damage, to Darcy. "Ngh." The blast erased lifepoints equal to her monsters current attackpoints and forced her off her spot. She did however manage to catch herself in a web of strings spun by her own Number. "I may not be the smartest, but I go to school to learn things, to learn how the world works! Everyone has 'earned' the right to know the truth!" Shin would never give up. The others were counting on him, all his brainwashed friends were depending on him! "Shin.." Darcy was pulled back up and stepped on top of Number 43. She detached the second material from Number 43. The Manipulator of Souls attached its strings to a dollified Zombiestein again and equipped the Number to itself to make itself indestructible. "You did halve my life, so perhaps... You may ask again."

Darcy's LP: 4700

Shin did not need to think hard about how to phrase things. "What is Pandora's plan for us, for everyone who resists her?" He had already assumed his fathers work and Pandora's masterplan were one and the same.

"Oh. The chaotic element. That is quite simple to explain. Her plan is to expand.. your father and his team are working on a Probe." She said as she passed the turn to Shin. "Probe?" Azar spoke up. "For space? So... " There were severe implications here. "Yes. Right now Pandora is limited to those on Earth because the portals to the infinite world are kept shut, but she does not have to be. Like a satellite, the probe will transmit signals.. it will transmit her essence throughout the universe." Azars eyes widened. "The universe? Does she not have enough slaves already? How can she possibly control them all?" He could not even imagine the consequences of this idea. "It will never be enough, Azar. The rest of existence must share in her love. The Probe project works by amplifying her power a million times over. You should be excited, Azar! She could discover new worlds cultures and emotions. She can discover things we would never have found on our own."

"No way. That's crazy! We gotta stop this! Now we_ have t_o get to my dad!" Shin began his turn in earnest and summoned a new monster, a fierce redheaded battlemage(4/1500/1400). "Strength of Prophecy! She gains 1 level and 500 attackpoints by returning a sed up Spellbook to my deck!" Shin had no spellbooks in the grave, yet. "I activate Spellbook of Wisdom! This turn Strength of Prophecy is immune to trap and spell cards!" Strength read the book and discarded it. Then she immediately used her own effect to reshuffle that Spellbook into Shins deck and strengthen her body(5/2000/1400). But it was not the powerboost Shin was after. "And now!" Shin flipped his other set card. "Trap card: Turnabout! Because I control a monster whose level is altered, It flips all monsters on the field!" His trap did not affect his battlemage, as she was protected by the magic of Wisdom. "You reset them?" But Darcy's Princess Cologne and Manipulator of Souls were switched to a face-down defense position. "Now. Get her!" Strength raised her beastly axe and struck the Princess who could be targeted while she was face-down. Thanks to the Ranking Zone field spell, the defending Cologne(1300/1400) did not have enough defense points to survive this attack and was destroyed. "End turn!"

Darcy cracked her neck. "You are unpredictable. That makes you.. dangerous." Darcy could flip Number 43 back face-up. But the Manipulator had lost all the attackpoints it gained, along with its equipped Number 22. Without Xyz-materials, it could not re-equip Zombiestein to itself either. This had been a very unusual comeback to witness. "It isn't good, Shin. Pandora does not like not knowing.. not feeling. How can she help your pain now?" Darcy's left hand traced the curve of her right arm. "You can not end misery without sacrifices." With one tug, Darcy pulled the glove of her arm and revealed pale unblemished skin. "...your scar?" The mark that had been engraved on her body after her car accident from years ago, it was gone now. It had been healed? "You asked me why I am helping Pandora? I will answer that freely. I do not want the old world, I want this one. My misery was not great, but I know too much of it existed out there.." Darcy drew her card with that arm and flipped her Number(0/0) face-up. "I activate Rank-Up magic: Numeron Force!"

_Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force  
__Target 1 face-up Number Monster you control; Special summon from your extra Deck, 1 "Number" monster with the same Type as that monster you control, but 1 Rank higher, by using it as the Xyz Material.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)  
__Then, if any face-up cards are on the field other than this card and the monster summoned by it, negate the effects of those other cards._

"Rank-up!?" Number 43 evolved before their eyes, while Numeron Force negated the effects of all cards on the field like Strength of Prophecy(4/1500/1400). "I use Number 43 as a material to Xyz-summon in defense mode: Number O43, The High Manipulator of Order." The demon(0/0) slipped out of its shadowy cover and revealed its full bloodred and maligned shape. "We are all just puppets anyway. That is how the world should be.." Darcy detached the only material from her Xyz-monster. The High Manipulators many eyes set their sights on Shin himself. "Number O43 can create a token, whose attackpoints are equal to half my opponents lifepoints." The demonic puppeteer crafted a new doll out of its own body parts. That doll(2950/0) had bright red hair and determined blue eyes; it was made to look like Shin. That was not the worst of it. "All dolls, all tokens, gain two attacks as long as the High Manipulator lives." Darcy wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself. "Shin... let me know how you feel. Let Pandora know." The Shin-like token bounced forward and punched right through Strenght of Prophecy. Then it immediately used its second attack to strike the human it was imitating. "Tch. Darcy.. did you always think this way?" Shin groaned. That hit from his own doll hurt him the most

Shins LP: 1500

"Stop trying to understand her! She is just another doll now!" Necara shouted from below. Either Pandora had gotten to Darcy, or she had always had her own issues that she never told anyone about. "I know that, but.." It was not that Darcy's words were getting to Shin, but he started to realize that some people _would_ prefer this world. There could be billions who would. "It is funny that you call me a doll, Necara. You fit that role very well for some time yourself." Darcy had her own comments about Necara's words. "Doll?" The girl rasped. That word was loathsome. "I did not mean to mock you. You are cut loose now, and I am glad for it. But nothing is there to Love you anymore. The End has become the doll." Darcy went on while Necara became quiet. "It was you who said something to that effect before. The world is a dollhouse and we are the dolls. We are flesh and bones fooled by our own desires, thus we might as well let ourselves be fooled by a unified benevolence. _She_ will never hurt us."

"No.. that is wrong! We are not puppets! Everyone should be free!" Shin had to win this, even if curing Darcy was not possible. He drew his card. "I activate.. That Wacky magic!" A spell was played. "That..Wacky..what?" Dakar cried out in exasperation. It did not sound very beneficial. "Dont underestimate this card! That Wacky Magic banishes all spells from my graveyard.. and then destroys all enemy monsters with lower defense points than the number of banished cards, times 300!" Shin did not even need to count how many spells were removed. All of Darcy's monsters had zero defense points. "!" Darcy watched as both the Manipulator of Order and the token it puppeteered were zapped to nothingness within a magic circle.

"I can not believe that worked, yet.. She still has 4700 lifepoints." Korose feared for Shin, Could he summon something to attack or defend with? "I had that covered too." Shin looked at the last card in his hand. "I did not want to go through with it at first, because I don't know how I will react.. to someone else's Number. But I have to." Shin took a deep breath. "Monster Reborn! I special summon a monster from your graveyard, Darcy!" It was time to do what he would not do before. "Shin?" Azar gasped, as Shin revived Number 22: Zombiestein(8/4500/1000). "Ahh..this is..not !" An merciless freezing energy flooded Shins veins. Controlling this thing felt delightful, but never pleasant. _"It is.. addicting." _He felt like he could understand Its user a little more now, except _he_ would never want to live like this himself. "Darcy. I attack." Ranking Zone was still active and boosted Zombiestein(6100/1000) greatly as it headed towards his old master. "It's okay, Shin." However Darcy had already placed her hand on her deck. "I surrender."

Darcy's LP: 0

The holograms faded away before a hit could be made. The endresult was the same. "Aha." The others could move again. "Guys!" And Ruby's voice came in through Dakars D-pad. "We couldn't reach you until now! What went on down there!?" The Communication channel had been restored. "They won, they won every answer." Darcy told her and everyone else. She took a device from the side of her belt and pushed a button on it. "The door?" They heard clicking and rattling noises from beyond the wall, the door was opened. "Pandora wishes you all well, and believes you will understand once you see what is beyond."

"Not likely..." Necara moved in immediately, it was time to get to see what the big secret was.

"YOU!?"

The secret was Kapha. "What in gods name." Dakar and anyone else who entered would be greeted with the same sight. Kapha's body, tucked away in the very same life-suspension-pods that had once filled his Hive. "You are.. keeping him on life support." Azar remembered her words. Darcy had not lied when she said that Kapha was still with them. "He is still fused with Lucifer." The signs of the first Number were evident in his blackened hair and discolored face. "Why? Why keep that man alive?" Years of hatred started to flow back; Necara felt an intense urge to simply plug out his power supply. "We have to." Darcy entered the room. "I told you, you can not take out Pandora while the Numbers live." The dark chamber lit up, revealing more pods.. smaller pods that contained cards. This place was like a vault. "Them too?!" There were eight of them. They were the Numbers 2 through 9, the originals. This is where the physical cards had ended up after Pandora absorbed them. "The catalysts Numbers, part of her power source. Pandora controls all Numbers through the Numeron Code and through The First. If the First is disconnected from Kapha.. then every one who holds a Number will die."

"We can't." Korose started to tremble. This was beyond words. "No. We cannot." Azar moved away from the pod. They had the power to end every life on this planet besides their own, it was terrifying. "Well what can we do? Do we go after dad next?" Shin had at least gotten that information out of Darcy. "Eventually." Azar was now more concerned with another plan; one that could cure every human at once. _"These hard drives may contain all records from the agency." _

"I know what to do." Said Necara. That was the only warning she gave, to Darcy and the others. "What are you doing?" Dakar yelled as he watched her summon her Angel of the End. "Before we go, I am tearing down this dollhouse with my 'doll'. So that all can see." She sent her Numberless angel towards the ceiling and made it blast a hole through multiple floors at once.

(To be Continued in Cipher 22: Good Place/No Place)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**That Wacky Magic

-  
Mystical Ref Panel  
Turnabout

**New Cards used by Darcy Lawless  
**Number C43: High Manipulator of Order (+)  
Supremacy Berry

_-  
Heat &amp; Heal (++)  
__Ranking Zone  
_Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force

-  
Tri and Guess

_(+ renamed for the purposes of the story)  
__(+ Lightly based on the spell used by Astral in YGO Zexal)_


	23. (Cipher 188): Good PlaceNo Place

**(Cipher 188) 22: Good Place/No Place**

The entire agency became aware of what was hidden several miles to the east and under the ground, after a group of Chaos' allies had blasted everything wide open. The rest of the agents could not reach the place but the Seven made their way downwards. They found the databanks.. along with Kapha. "What happened? Did Azar do this to him?" Claud stared at the pale man in the healing tank. He did not look very healthy. "No. He has been in there for quite some time." Darcy could not lie to them, not completely. "This is why he did not want to see you directly. Kapha..is already dying. To preserve his mind, he hooked himself up to these machines. To these Numbers." Half-truths worked well enough. Everything else was taken care of by Pandora's mental influence. "Then.. Chaos tried to strike at the heart. Everything could have been lost." Ariel touched the side of the pod. This was a heinous act. She saw it that way. Everyone saw it that way.

Ion folded his arms and grumbled. "This is turning into quite a mess. One of us will stand guard here from now on, and get some agents down here. The others will keep looking for Chaos.. Xander, has Subito called in yet?" Xander shook his head. "Damn. Doesn't that guy ever need sleep? Call for him, he needs to know this..." Ion did not have family of his own, so he could not exactly know what Subito was thinking. However willpower could only get a man so far, regardless of how many loved ones he had. "And Darcy do you have any clue where Chaos could have gone?" Camilla, Judith, Deckard; none of them knew anything about their attackers plans. Darcy did.

"I.." Yet she did not share her knowledge. "Kapha does not know."

...

After their explosive getaway, the duelists returned to their hiding spot. "What were you thinking, blowing up that place?" This time Dakar was at odds with Necara, because of what she had done. "It forced the Seven to see what that girl was hiding from them. They might even start to ask questions." The damage Necara caused would lure the Seven down into the depths of the agency's headquarters. She was sure they would be distracted with that for a long time. "But what if you had endangered Kapha's life support! If he dies it could kill everyone on earth! You don't want that do you!?" Necara had tried to kill Kapha before and his sister could have died that very instant. "I do not. The world would become inconvenient to live in." Necara only held back for pragmatic reasons. Not for emotional reasons. "You still don't care about anyone.. You haven't changed at all!" Dakar was starting to see why Ruby had questioned her helpfulness before.

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Shin got in between the two. "We have enough people to fight out there!" It felt like a squabble broke out every hour. Shin could not handle it anymore. "You're right. I am sorry. It's just.. I have not had much sleep." Dakar had used his power nonstop to make sure that they would not be found. It was getting to him. "We are all tired, we have been moving from place to place without pause." Even Korose felt his strength wane. None of them had had a chance to rest very long. Most did not have Numbers to re-energize them either. "We can't do this, we cant keep doing this. They will find us.. Claud will.." For some like Rita, desperation even began to set in. Taking Pandora on directly was impossible now. Yet taking on the entire world, the only alternative, was just as hopeless.

"Azar. You have a way out right? You didn't go to those hard drives for nothing. Or do you think we should go find dad?" Shin though resolved to stay positive. He knew Azar, he knew the look he had when he had a solution to a problem. "I do have a plan. One we need to complete before approaching your father." Azar confessed. "Well? Don't keep it to yourself!" Ruby demanded to hear it. "The fact is, I do not have all the power that I should. I placed part of me inside one card, a card that I evolved many times." It was no mystery which card he was referring to. "Utopia?!" Shin guessed. "Yes, the 39th Number. I infused it with the power to balance chaos with order; creating a Shining Number. If I had that ability again, I could pass it along the people and the Numbers, I would harmonize them and force Pandora out at the same time." It would be the same as what he had done to Dakar. They would keep their Numbers but know the true nature of the Numbers as well. He would not have to duel each human at a time anymore, the Light would move by itself."

"But I would need to conquer Utopia and his original creator. I needed to know who made the first Number 39." And that knowledge he drew from the agency's databanks. "So, I can tell you.. rest easy. Sleep while I stand guard. Tomorrow, we go after this person.. and Utopia."

...

"That is him?" The next day, under a veil of invisibility from a refreshed Dakar, the duelists homed in on the designated creator. "He is just a kid!" They were looking at an elementary school during lunchbreak, at a young blonde-haired boy who walked out of it. He could not have been older than 12. "He is the one the data pointed out, Ruby." At this point Azar could sense the Number on him anyway. "And Ion gave us flak for our targets. But he took a card from a little kid. Pfeh." Rita had never seen someone so young with a Number. And this kid made one of the first Numbers ever. "Dakar. I am going to need a disguise." Azar intended to duel the kid, but he obviously could not show his real face in public. "What about the Seven or Pandora?" Dakars masks could fool many eyes, and Pandora could not have known what Azar planned to do with the agency's data. But It would probably notice a person with eyes that could not be seen through. "Pandora can't track every detail at once, I hope." Azar counted on having some time before his ploy became too conspicuous. "The rest of you stay close by. I am going in.."

"Hey Kid!" Azar approached the young boy. Dakars overhundred number 'masked' Azar as another classmate of around the same age. Even the pitch of his voice was altered. "Yeah whatyawant?" The kid replied. "I heard that you're a really awesome duelist." Azar tried his best to bring out his own inner child for his 'act'. "Sure am! You're looking at the winner of the junior division last month!" The kid responded without a care or thought of suspicion. He liked to boast of his achievements. "Cool! I am a duelist too, but I did not make it very far. So maybe I could see your tricks!?" It was a harmless question, from most perspectives. They had the time; the next class would not start for another 30 minutes or so. "I could do that. I have my stuff with me. So you got it..uhm.. ehr.. Whats your name? Mine's Hal!"

"It's Terry." Azar smiled. So far so good.

'Terry's LP: 8000 Hals LP: 8000

The two moved to the school playground and prepared their cards, pads and visors. "You can go first. Show me what you like to use, Ter." Hal drew five cards, Azar drew six. "Okay. I figured I would win more if I took the biggest baddest deck!" This deck was filled with a lot of new cards that replaced his Hieratics. Azar did not want to be too transparent with his choice of strategies. "I activate one effect of Tempest the Dragon Ruler of Storms, from my hand. I discard it, with another dragon, to pick a dragon out of my deck." Along with Tempest, an Eclipse Wyvern was sent to the graveyard. "Oh? Dragon Rulers? That sure is a scary choice. But cool still!" Hal nodded to himself.

"It is? Nice!" Azar used Tempests effect to add an Armed Protector Dragon to his hand. "Then I activate this spell called Dragon Shrine. I can dump up to two decked dragons, if the first is a normal dragon." Azar used this card to send a RedEyes Black Dragon and a Kidmodo Dragon to his graveyard. The latter dragons effect activated afterwards. "When Kidmodo Dragon hits the graveyard, I can summon a dragon from my hand. I summon Armed Protector Dragon!" A blue catfish-like dragon(8/2000/2800) appeared. "And I equip him with an equip spell: Dragon Shield." The dragon with smooth slimy skin was given sharp tough armor. It(2500/2800) appeared to grow stronger because of it. "Protector Dragon gains 500 attackpoints for each spell equipped to it. And it makes those equipped cards indestructible. And Dragon Shield makes the dragon indestructible!"

"Ahm another nasty combo. You have some moves, Ter." Hal chuckled. "I can do more!" Azar did not let up, he took the discarded Eclipse Wyvern and Kidmodo Dragon out of his D-pad. "I can banish two dragons from my hand or graveyard, to special summon Tempest from my graveyard!" The two dragons were sucked into a dimensional vortex, which was only calmed by the arrival of the storm ruling dragon(7/2400/2200). "Now Eclipse Wyvern can give me the card it banished too!" Azar had not elaborated on that yet; but when the Eclipse Wyvern went into its grave, it removed a second RedEyes Black Dragon from Terry's deck. Now that the Wyvern was banished itself, that RedEyes could be added to Azars hand. "One last thing." Azar activated a spell. "Sacred Sword of the Seven Stars banishes a level 7 monster and lets me draw two new cards." Azar used the spell to banish the recently acquired Black Dragon and restock his hand. "I set these two down. Now my turn is over." Two traps would finish his field for now.

"Oh geez, Ter. You lost with tricks like those?" Hal shook his head. He had trouble keeping up. "Well. It's no big thing. I will show you my secret weapon now!" Hal drew his sixth card and activated a field spell. "I play Onomatopia!" Spiraling towers of blue crystal rose from the virtual ground, reaching for the sun. "That card?" Azar knew of it. It was a spell that supported four entirely separate archetypes. "Well. I could not make up my mind which cards I liked more.. so I chose all of them! Eheheh. I activate Onomatopaira!" The next spell was much the same. "I discard a card and take 2 of 4 types of cards to my hand. The types are Gagaga, Gogogo, Dododo and Zubaba!" The spell traded one Gogogo Ghost in his hand for a Gogogo Golem and Dododo Buster from his deck. "I am going for it, doing it, summoning both!" When only his masters opponent controlled monsters, Dododo Buster(4/1900/1600) could special summon itself to the field, but with its level reduced to 4... "Oh whoa. I activate a card too." Azar discarded the Maxx C insect from his hand. "Each you special summon this turn, I can draw a card!" Thanks to Dododo Buster he had 1 new card already.

The next step was Gogogo Golem(4/1800/1500) being normal summoned. The third step was clear. "Here we go, my secret weapon is my Number 39!" Dododo Buster and Gogogo Golem were overlayed, and created the white warrior of hopes and wishes. _"Utopia." _As Utopia(4/2500/2000) took form, its benevolent light filled the field. Azar felt blissful just standing near it. "The effect of Onomatopia activates. It gains a 'Feel the Flow!" counter every time a Utopia-monster is summoned." One counter was added to the field spell. "So I summon Utopia Ray!" Hal took Utopia with one hand and a new Xyz-monster with his other. "Utopia..Ray!?" Azar could not hold his astonishment inside him, as he saw Hal perform a feat he had believed to be impossible for anyone but him. Utopia was chaos evolved into its black knight form: Number C39 Utopia Ray(4/2500/2000). The Chaosnumbered Utopia was his too? "Pretty sweet eh?" Hal laughed again as he placed a second FeeltheFlow counter on his field spell. "Only I have this super rare card. I won it a long time ago."

"Did you?" That could not be true, it had to be another lie Pandora planted in his head. But Azar did not press the subject. "Yup! Oh..and now!" Hal removed all counters from Onomatopia. "By removing 2 counters, my field spell can summon a Gagaga, Gogogo, Dododo or Zubaba monster from my deck! Do your best, Zubaba Buster!" His deck was opened and it released a caped knight(4/1800/600) who dual-wielded maces. "Wanne see my crushing combo?!" Hal played a continuous spell. "Putting on All Airs! I pay 7900 lifepoints!" Hals spell ate up an alarming amount of life. "Huh!? Oh!" Azar saw the purpose of it, when he recalled a certain condition of the chaosnumber. "I need my life to be 1000 or less, so I can use Utopia Ray's effect!" Hal detached all three materials from the black knight. "For each card I detach. Utopia Ray gains 500 attackpoints and an opponents monster loses 1000 attackpoints!" The Black knight rendered both Tempest(400/2200) and Protector Dragon(1500/2800) helpless and himself(4000/2000) immensely powerful. "time to attack!" Zubaba Buster charged in, running towards the Dragon Ruler.

Hals LP: 100

_Putting on All Airs, Normal Spell  
__To activate this card, pay all but 100 of your Life points. During your endphase, you gain lifepoints equal to your opponents lifepoints._

"Wait wait! I activate Dragons Rebirth!" Azar flipped one trap. "I banish a dragon to special summon another from my hand or graveyard!" He removed Tempest from the field, in order to special summon the dead RedEyes Black Dragon(7/2400/2000) back in attack position. Meanwhile, when the Storm Dragon Ruler got banished, Azar could add a wind-type dragon to his hand from his deck. His sights fell on RedEyes Black Wyvern. "Aha! Then I will attack that one instead!" Zubaba Buster retreated and Utopia Ray himself jumped into the sky. "I will use this to counter; Justi-Break!" Azars second trap was flipped. "When you attack my normal monster, I can destroy all effect monsters!" Redeyes charged lightning in its mouth and unleashed it upon every other monster. "Oh!" Number C39 and Zubaba Buster were fried. The Armed Dragon alone survived, thanks to its Dragon Shield. "Aww. I had such a sweet plan too. Zubaba Buster was gonna.. and then Ray would.. maaaan!" With no monsters left, Hal had no choice but to end his turn. At least his Last Hope spell could now heal a lot more lifepoints during his endphase. Though he would soon lose those lifepoints.

Hals LP: 8100

_"He reminds me of Shin, if he were much younger." _Azar thought to himself, as he took his turn. Due to Maxx C his hand had 4 new cards to use. Though nothing looked too devastating. He normal summoned RedEyes Wyvern(4/1800/1600). "Triple direct attack!" The wyvern, armed protector and red-eyed dragons let loose a salvo of flames which covered all of Hals side. "That's that!" Afterwards 'Terry' placed two trap cards down and ended his turn.

Hals LP: 2400

"Eesh. That hits hard." Hal dusted off his uniform. "I am in a real pinch now!" Hal needed to draw something good to get out of this. "Not! I never lose! I am Hal Stone, the best player alive! Hahaha!" Hal drew his next card. "?!" During that instant, Azar felt a familiar wave of energy. _"Could that be..hope draw?" _Utopia's ability allowed anyone to get out of a hopeless situation no matter what. That was certainly a useful skill for a competitive duelist. "Yes! I activate Monster Reborn!" Few humans could control the power of their Number. Hal appeared to be one of them. He activated his lucky spell and used it to resummon the original Utopia. "I upgrade him into Utopia Ray again!" Hal had a second copy of the chaosnumber in his deck? Azar did not know that was even possible! Yet there the second black warrior(4/2500/2000) stood.

"Now I have two FeeltheFlow counters on my field spell again!" Hal smirked and removed the two counters from Onomatopia. This time he let it special summon a 'Gagaga' monster from his deck, the Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000). The resemblance to Shin continued. "I also summon Gogogo Giant! Because when the Giant is called.." A taller slimmer rock golem(4/2000/0) appeared and it immediately switched its stance from offense to defense. "It can bring a Gogogo out of the graveyard!" A one-eyed samurai ghost(4/1900/0) walked out of the tombs of the dead, it also switched to defense mode to activate an effect. "Gogogo Golem can join too!" A special summoned Gogogo Ghost could revive Gogogo Golem in the same sequence. "Five monsters?" Azar was even more astounded. In one turn Hal had covered all his monster zones.

At this moment, the schoolbell rang. Classes were starting again. Hal did not seem to mind it. "Pshaw. I can skip the rest of the day. This is way more fun!" They were standing on part of the playground where nobody could see them anyway.. "I think the moment has come, Azar."

"What!?" Azars body literally recoiled from the shock of hearing his true name. "What are you talking about? I am.." How did he know?_ Did _he know? "Azar, I know. You don't have to pretend anymore. Utopia figured it out a while ago.. he recognizes you." Hal said with a big grin. "Utopia? It...told you?" Had he heard that right; this kid could talk with his Number? "Yup. You had this card for a while, didnt ya? He knows you want him back. But.. you are not gonna get it, not if you can't defeat Me!" Hal activated one last card. "Spell card! Rank-Up Magic: Numeron Force!"

"Numeron Force!?" Hal even had access to rank-up evolution! But this was different, this was not a Chaos Xyz-summon. Azars spells always evolved Utopia into the devilish Utopia Ray V. "I summon Utopia Ray Victory!" This next-rank form of Utopia was something else, a divine red warrior(5/2800/2500) with white armor and golden wings. "Utopia is not alone anymore! I have two other secret weapons!" Hal overlayed his other monsters; Gogogo Ghost with Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Golem with Gagaga Magician. "Two more?" Azar had not sensed it before, but there were two other Numbers in this kids extra deck! "Ya-huh! I Xyz-summon Number 68: Dystopia and Number 97: Mesotopia!" The four-armed warrior of light was joined by a dark knight of despair(4/2500/2000) and a grey knight of apathy(4/2500/2000).

...

(To be Continued in Cipher 23: Caught between Three Extremes)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms  
Armed Protection Dragon

-  
Sacred Sword of the Seven Stars

**Cards used by Hal Stone  
**Dododo Buster  
Gogogo Golem  
Zubaba Buster  
Number 39: Utopia  
Number C39: Utopia Ray  
Gagaga Magician  
Gogogo Giant  
Gogogo Ghost  
Number O39: Utopia Ray Victory  
_Number 68: Dystopia  
__Number 97: Mesotopia_

-  
Onomatopaira  
Onomatopia  
_Putting on All Airs  
_Monster Reborn  
Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force


	24. (Cipher 189): Between Three Extremes

**(Cipher 189) 23: Caught between Three Extremes**

Dakar and everyone else he was hiding with his power witnessed the latest developments. They could not hear but they could see what was going on. "Wait? Can a kid control three Numbers?" Besides Utopia Ray Victory(4/2800/2500), Hal summoned the Numbers Dystopia(4/2500/2000) and Mesotopia(4/2300/2200). "It can't be that he created all three at once, can it? Even that Morbis guy only made two Numbers at once." Shin was uncertain about this being something unprecedented. "I do not believe so. Morbis was presumed to be one of a kind. I also know these three Numbers were taken from different people." Korose knew who had claimed these Numbers. Ion had been one of them. " One is the knight of hope, the other a knight of despair." Necara had been responsible for the capture of the second. Morbis himself had claimed the third; the knight between hope and despair; apathy.

_Number 68: Dystopia, Rank 4/2500/2000 Dark/Warrior/XYZ  
__2 Level 4 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with a "Number" monster.  
__During your battle phase, after the damage step, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this monster can attack once again in a row  
__If a monster card is sent from your field to the graveyard while this card has no Xyz Materials: Destroy this card._

_Number 97: Mesotopia, 4/2300/2200 Earth/Warrior/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 Warrior monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with a "Number" monster. You choose the attack targets for your opponent's attacks.  
__Once per turn, when any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy all attack-position monsters with equal or less original ATK than this cards ATK._

Azars LP: 8000 Hals LP: 2400

"Where did you get these?" Azars senses told him that the two other Numbers were the originals as well. "I won these too." Was Hals answer again. Azar believed that as much as he believed the first answer. _"Is he..the original creator of all three Numbers, after all? Even if he is, he should not have all these chaos and Numeron cards. Pandora could have given them to him.. in case I would ever try to approach him."_ Whatever was the cause, the consequences were more pertinent. "Now. Lets throw them into the mix! When utopia Ray Victory attacks, no spells or traps can be activated!" Hal made the first attack with his Utopia of Victory. "And by detaching one material, it can steal the attackpoints of its opponents target, while also locking up that monsters abilities!" When Hal had activated Numeron Force, the spell had already negated the effects of all other cards on the field. But now Azars Red-Eyes Black Dragon(7/2400/2000) faced the wrath of Utopia Ray Victory(5200/2500) who grew an extra pair of arms just so it could hold its four blades. All the swords pierced the dragons black scales and tore it to pieces. Yet not just Red-Eyes was destroyed.

Azars LP: 5200

"Kgeh.. What?" As Azar held up his arm to brave the damage, he saw his RedEyes Black Wyvern(4/1800/300) and Armed Protector Dragon(8/2000/2800) get destroyed as well. "When I attack, Mesotopia can detach one material to destroy anyone who is not defending, if they are weaker than him!" The grey warrior had called upon its power while Number O39 attacked. Mesotopia swept his his shield-blade wings around to push Azars other dragons off the field. "Now its just you and me, Azar! And Dystopia of course!" Hal declared the second attack, with the black warrior who could attack again by detaching one material. It would run through all of Azars lifepoints in one go, if Hal had his way.

"Trap card!" Which was precisely what Azar prevented. "Double Dragon Descent! When an Xyz-monster attacks me directly, I can special summon a light-type dragon xyz monster from my deck! Its effects are negated and its attackpoints become the same as the attacking monsters!" Azar only had one card that could take a Number down with it. A card he had not wanted to use. "I summon Number 46: Draggluon!" His own Number, the white chinese dragon(8/2500/3000) was placed on the field in attack position. "Oh?!" Dystopia was forced to keep attacking. It and Draggluon killed each other. "Look utopia, its the Number he awoke in himself!" Hal laughed. Hal sent Mesotopia to make a third attack, striking Azar directly. "I am surprised you kept the card around!" Hal then finally ended his turn.

Azars LP: 2900

"I kept it, because I feared I would need it." It might have been the copy that the agency forced into his deck, but it still counted as a Number that could kill other Numbers. Unfortunately any Number, even that copy, was connected to 'her'. "I did not break my bond with your friend. Utopia and I.. were forced apart. If you know this much, than you should know the world is not right anymore." Now, at last, Azar undid the disguise Dakar had given him. The illusion of 'Terry' had been weakened during the attacks anyway. "But when I have my full power again, Hal. I can even use Draggluon without pain.. without corruption." Now that he had summoned his Number, Pandora could read his mind again. He had to win this duel. If he did not, he would forget everything all over again. "I know what it means to have hope, to need hope." He was trapped now, he had placed too much 'hope' in his plan and disregarded too many possibilities. Yet hope was also the way out. "Utopia, I will get you back!"

Azar started his turn. He normal summoned a tuner monster, The White Stone of Legend(1/300/250), and special summoned a non-tuner White Dragon Wyverburster(4/1700/1800) by banishing the dark-type RedEyes Black Dragon from the graveyard. His trademark cards no longer needed to be kept away. "I Synchro summon Samsara the Rebirth Dragon..." By combining the five stars of his two monsters, he could bring out his 5-starred synchro monster. "..in attack position!" The necromantic dragon(5/100/2600) coated in black fire descended into the light-fileld spirals of Onomatopia. It flew straight towards Mesotopia. "Attack? Oh I get it! But Mesotopia gets to say who attacks who, Azar!" The grey knight jumped towards Samsara and deflected it with his shield-blade. The Dragon of Rebirth came within Utopia Ray Victory's range and was swiftly cut down by its swords instead. Still, Azar still got what he wanted, Samsara's ankh was left behind. "When Samsara dies.. a monster is reborn." He could summon any monster from any grave, even a monster that had been detached to Hals cemetery last turn. "I special summon Number 39!" The ankh glowed and resurrected the original warrior of light: Utopia the king of wishes(4/2500/2000).

Azars LP: 200

"You did it. You got him back." Hal was surprised, but not upset. "You hurt yourself, just to do it.. Utopia is glad. But that doesnt mean we will lose!" Utopia was summoned in attack mode, one attack from his higher-ranked form would kill it instantly. "I know. But Utopia is not my only friend. Two beings have given me all of their power, one has even given me his experiences." Azar activated his other trap, Common Charity. He used it to banish a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his hand, which he had added to his hand when he sent White Stone of Legend to the grave. "Utopia taught me the draw of Hope. But He.. taught me.." Then Common Charity let him draw two cards. "CHAOS DRAW!" The top two cards of his deck transformed, turning into new weapons. "I draw two Chaos Weapons, monsters that can be equipped to Utopia. Fenrir Sword!" Azar took a metallic wolf, which turned into a golden sword for Utopia to wield. "Lightning Blade!" With his other hand Utopia took an eletrically charged saber, which had once been a white tiger. "Lightning Blade adds 1200 attackpoints to my monster!" Utopia(3700/2000) crossed both blades and filled the air with static. "I set one trap card down, and end my turn."

_Chaos Weapon - Fenrir Sword, 4/1800/1100 Light/Beast  
__When this card is normal summoned: You can target 1 "Chaos Weapon" monster you control that is an equip card; special summon that target in defense position.  
__You can target 1 "Utopia" monster you control; equip this card from your hand to that target.  
__When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can target 1 "Chaos Weapon" monster in your graveyard; add that target to your hand._

"Yeah. Utopia and me have a trick like that too." Hal placed his hand on his deck. "What did you say?" Another miracle took place, the top card of Hals deck began to glow with black light. "Chaos Draw!" Hal did it, he created a card just like Azar had. "You have weapons, we have servers! I summon Chaos Servers - Immortal Sage!" The card was a sage(3/1000/800) clad in tight green armor. It did not summon itself as an equip card, but as an actual monster. "Immortal Sage grants all my monsters 1000 attackpoints." The Chaotic wizard spun his wand around and empowered Utopia Victory(3800/2500) and Mesotopia(3300/2200). "Utopia Ray Victory can now destroy your Utopia!" Hal made his Number of Order target its original counterpart. Azar could still not use traps or spells against this monsters attacks. "I activate an effect from my hand!" But he _could_ use monster effects. "Rainbow Kuriboh! I equip it from my hand to Utopia Ray Victory!" In the middle of its assault, a fuzzy critter of seven colors emerged and latched itself unto the body of Number O39. "Eh?"

_Chaos Servers - Immortal Sage, 3/1000/800 Light/Warrior  
__All monsters on your field gains ATK equal to this card's ATK.  
__If a monster(s) you control is destroyed during the battle phase while you controlled a "Utopia" monster: you can tribute this card; special summon all__ non-LIGHT "Number" monsters that were destroyed by your opponent._

"Your monster can not attack while it has Rainbow Kuriboh equipped to it!" Azar explained. "Oh you're almost as lucky as me, Azar." Hal smirked and wiped under his nose. "But I still have Mesotopia! Your monsters original attack is now lower than its current attack!" Hal made Number 97 strike, and use up its last material to activate its destruction effect. "Even so, I can negate that destruction by giving up Lightning Blade!" Number 39 discarded the electric chaos weapon, to fend off Mesotopia's shield-blades. Unfortunately this left the hope warrior(2500/2000) wide-open for physical confrontation with the uncaring warrior. "Come back to me, Utopia!" Hal cried. With one swing from its standard sword, Mesotopia could return Utopia to his masters graveyard.

"Trap card: XYZ-Soul!" Unless Azar countered that attack as well. "I return a XYZ-monster from the grave my extra deck, and give my monster 200 attackpoints for each rank star!" Azar used it on his own Number. The spirit of Dragluon arose and coiled around Utopia to add an eight-starred powerboost to the warrior(4100/2000). "Crap!" Mesotopia's blade was caught by Utopia. Number 39 retaliated by driving his own Fenrir Sword into the chest of the grey knight. "When a monster equipped with Fenrir Sword destroys a monster, I can return a destroyed Chaos Weapon to my hand!" Azar re-claimed the tiger weapon: Lightning Blade. However Hal drew up to two cards from his graveyard at this time. "Yeah well my Chaos Server can activate its effect too now! I tribute it to special summon all the non-light Numbers that you destroyed!" The sage exploded into pure energy. Both the earthen Mesotopia(4/2300/2200) and dark Dystopia(4/2500/2000) returned to Hal in defense position. "It will take more than that to break my winners streak, Azar!"

Hals LP: 1600

"There! "We have found you, Azar!" In a case bad timing, two people teleported unto the scene: Subito and Xander. Azar should not have been surprised. This duel had gone on longer than he anticipated. "We will not let you finish this.." Subito already had every intention of stopping this duel then and there, and he already summoned his Overhundred Number. "Subito, stop!" However his focus as disrupted by a familiar voice and another Overhundred Number. A cold magic shattered his time freezing bubble before it spread out. "No!?" Subito looked down below and saw six more duelists, including Rita and her magic breaking Ragnazero. "So you were hiding there. Under one of your masks I presume.. Dakar?" Xander figured out what was really going on in no time at all. "Although. What is the purpose of this duel?" Figuring out why Azar was dueling a random kid was an entirely different mystery. "Bro! You have to let this duel finish! Azar can show you the truth once he does!" Shin tried to plead with them. "If you do not, you will have to fight us." Necara suggested a cruder method of settling this dispute.

"Tch. You have all turned on us. Even you, Shin." Subito gnashed his teeth. His own brother had chosen Azar over him. "Azar! What do you think you are doing?" With them at this impasse, the duel could not be interrupted. He could only try to understand. "Darcy did not tell you, did she? I figured she wouldn't. Neither you nor this kid know the reason." Hal was the creator of Utopia. Even if Pandora knew this and expected Azar to come after him, which she must have, It could not pass this information along to the Seven. They still believed that Numbers like Utopia existed long before their time, that there were no original Numbers. "Didn't you start to wonder who could be right, when you saw what Darcy and Kapha were hiding?" He did not expect them to answer. As long as Pandora was in their heads, they would never doubt their own perspective.

"The purpose of this duel was to remember..." Azar drew his card. "Not Chaos Draw... SHINING DRAW!" Azar pulled another special card from his deck. At the same time the Chaos Weapons on his field underwent a change of their own. "Hey? What are you doing? You..you can't make cards different in the middle of a duel!" Hal protested as Lightning Blade and Fenrir Sword both lost their chaotic nature. They had become Shining Weapons. "Only their nature is altered, their name. Their stats and effects have remained the same." Azar then took another card, from his extra deck.

"What? What is this, Azar?" Its awakening power was felt by both a rattled Subito and curious Xander... and the duelists below. To them the released energy felt calming. "Hal. There is a level beyond chaos and order, beyond despair and hope. It is the balancing Light, a light that reveals all truths!" Azar placed the new xyz monster on top of Utopia. "Shining-Xyz Evolution! Number 39 becomes Number S39: Utopia Prime!" The hope warrior altered its own armor, making it lighter and sleeker. Its wings separated from its blade and transformed into triangular blades. It had become the Shining One(4/2510/2000). "...2510 attackpoints? Is that it?" Hal was not really impressed. He felt his own Utopia was still better. "For Prime it unfortunately is. It can not use its effects without detaching three materials." Prime only had one. "However." Azar equipped both cards from his hand to this new Utopia. "Shining Weapons - Asura Strike and Lightning Blade will add 1000 and 1200 attackpoints to him!" Prime(3710/2000) not only grabbed the electrical blade, but he(4710/2000) also a strapped a circle weapon to hiss back. "Attack!"

"Azar? I think you forgot one thing!" Hal reactivated Mesotopia's ability. "I say who attacks who!" Utopia prime was redirected towards Dystopia. The Shining Number had to kill the Despair Knight instead of the Victorious one. "Ha! Victory still has one material! On the next turn I can use the power of Number O39 to steal your Shining monsters attackpoints. I win, Azar! Utopia stays mine!"

"I understand now." Azar did not hear Hals gloating, he was listening to someone else. "You were his too. Despair, Apathy and Hope were all part of his life.. all three of you were drawn to him." He could finally understand Number 68; Hals despair. His parents had been divorced and money was tough to come by, they were always miserable. "For you, winning is what frees you from your home, from your life" This kid was not like Shin alone, but like him as well. "What are you talking about..wha..hey!" Hal gasped as the Asura ring on Prime's changed into a pair of claws which grabbed Mesotopia. "Shining Weapon Asura Strike allows the equipped monster to attack all of the opponents monsters." Number 97 was destroyed by the second strike. Its voice reached Azar too now. "After despair comes indifference, acceptance of misery. It was not until later that you did grasp that final light, you started to believe you could have something better. I know this feeling, Hal. I have walked that path!" Utopia Prime could finally attack Utopia Ray Victory. The Shining warrior smashed all four of Victory's swords with the Asura ring. "I will make us all walk it again!" Prime plunged his blade into the warrior of Order, running him through.

Hals LP: 0

"Ha. That was fun." Hal let out one last chuckle, as he knelt to the ground. "Now you are the one who has to keep the streak." He grinned and passed out.

"Now, the two of you! Watch closely!" Azar yelled at Subito and Xander. "This is the power I was talking about!" With Number S39 he was finally back to his full strength. So was 'the cure'. Light started to flow from Azar like a river. "That does not look inviting." Xander was not taking any chances and tried to contain Azar and his energy inside a forcefield. "Well I.." For all the good it did. His barrier was eaten away by the light. "All will be purified, Xander. That includes you! I am not running from you this time!" If these two were using Overhundred Numbers outside of a duel, he could attack them in return. "I do not fear you, Azar! I will defeat you, and.." Subito was more than willing to take him up on his challenge. "No." Xander was not. "Xander? get out of the way." Xander had placed a hand in front of Subito. "This is a fight we can not win. Not by ourselves, we need to fall back before he touches us with that energy." He knew when the odds were against them. Eventually Subito forced himself to see it to. "This is not over." He uttered one final warning towards Azar and teleported away along with Xander.

Everyone breathed a sigh a relief. "Amazing." Shin was the first to marvel at the feats Azar had just demonstrated. "Utopia is back! You can beat Pandora for sure now!" He did not see how anyone could stand up to this kind of power. "We.. can beat Pandora. I would not have gotten this far without all of you." Azar knew he had his friends to thank for this. He would not even have been able to finish this duel without them. For a moment he thought it had still been too easy. But he brushed that concern aside for now.

"What do we do now? And what about the kid? We can't take him with us." Hal was still out cold. The school would start to miss him at some point. "He will be fine. I took what I needed. With the power of the Light, I can leave the Numbers themselves with him. I could do the same for your Numbers." Azar looked at the Number cards, there were two copies of Utopia now. One for him and one for Hal. "These were all Number 39 once, he created all three. One after the other they came and left him until Utopia stuck." That was why the agents had found all three in different locations, and why Dystopia and Mesotopia were so alike. They had simply taken on new Numbers but kept their forms. "We will wait until we see someone find him."

"As for us. Before we spread this cure, we are going to take care of the Probe.."

(To be Continued in Cipher 24: One Giant Leap for Mankind)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Chaos/Shining Weapon - Fenrir Sword (+)  
Shining Weapon - Asura Strike (+)

-  
XYZ Soul

**New Cards used by Hal Stone  
**_Chaos Servers - Immortal Sage_

_(+ Renamed for the purposes of the story)_


	25. (Cipher 190): One Giant Leap for Mankind

**(Cipher 190) 24: One Giant Leap for Mankind**

Mister Artega worked long and difficult hours far from home. The times he could manage to return to his home were few and far in between. This project was everything. In this world where the Numbers had become a part of every day-life and comfort, one last step needed to be taken. The threat of outside invaders persisted. That reason was part of what motivated the worlds governments to join forces and create ISA. They channeled funds into the united space flight project so they could build devices like the Probe. The Probe was designed not only to send messages far into space, it could defend their own planet as well. Artega was at one of the science centers working on the design and construction of the probe. He thought he was just adding his experience in computer design to help NASA to make this next step. He thought his machine would be the next weapon against beings like Chaos. He had no idea of what he really was doing.. not until this very day.

"Dad!"

"...Shin?" To his utter shock and awe, he encountered his own son in his office at the space flight center. And his son was not alone. He was here with five others; three girls and two men. "Why are you..who are all these people? Wait, I know some of you.." He recognized Azar and Kincaids daughter. These were Shins friends? "I am sorry, you will understand soon." Then there was a seventh person, standing behind him? "You? Aza.." Before Shins father could raise his own voice, Azar had tapped him in the back of his neck and sent 'something' into his body. "Uhn.." He felt his strength leave him and he collapsed. "EaSy nOw." He could hear their garbled voices while Azar was held him up. "DiD iT wOrK?" One of the others, the tall one, asked. "He iS nOt a duelist rIGht? sO he sHOulD not BE ablE to resist aNywAY?" Another, the girl with long pink hair, replied. His own son responded to that. "WELl My MOm dUEled wHEN she WAs younGER.. I foRGot IF dad did SO TOo." The world was still spinning, and all lights were bright and fuzzy. "If hE is, it ShOUld nOt matter. NoT to THe full poWEr of the LiGhT." Azar seemed to conclude.

"Whah!" Then, at last, the world was put back in place for his senses. That world was not the way he had left it. "Shin. Azar.. all of you? How did you.." He saw the world as they did now, as something that was created without Numbers. "Azar did it, dad! He cured you like he cured me! He did not kidnap me at all! That was just something Pandora wanted you to think!" His son blurted out a thousand details at once. Some of those had not been even established yet. "Pandora? Kidnapped? I had no idea anything had happened to you?" The old man had been under the assumption that Shin was still living at home. "It happened two nights ago! Nobody told you?" Ruby reacted with disgust. Not telling him anything was even worse than lying about Shin being 'kidnapped'. "I believe you were not told anything to not distract from your tasks, am I right?" To Korose, this center did not look like a place you could easily make phonecalls from. "..You are right. I was not allowed to talk about this place, or leave any evidence of it at home. Not even Subito knew exactly what I was doing"

"Wait, Subito..the Overhundred Numbers.. Why are you all here?" These people were not just exposing themselves here to save one man. "We can answer that while you take us to the Probe." Azars words made clear what they were here for, and that they didnt have a lot of time. "The probe? That is what this is all about?... what have I been working on?" With all that he knew now, Artega started to reconsider what the Probe was supposed to do. "It will make things a million times worse, that is what!" Shin yelled. "We need to take it down, dad. It can not be launched! Or else the Numbers will infect the entire cosmos!" And that was the key word; the Numbers, the same thing that had brainwashed him. "What? No.. I can not.." Horror came over him, his own hands had helped build such a thing? Yes, he had. "Artega? Is there still time to stop it?" Azar did not yet know how far into development the thing was. If it was even still here. That was why they came after Artega first. "All the instruments are ready, the Probe is constructed and about to be shipped off to the launch center. They say they want to fire it off next week."

"Not if we destroy it now. Not if we destroy everything." Necara was prepared to lay waste to this entire facility, just to be on the safe side. "No wait! People work here, innocent people! That and.." Artega lowered his voice, as he reminded himself of something. ".. and two directors from the Agency are here to oversee the process. Boothe from the miltary division and Powell from the Space flight division. The agency is all over this place now, and I do not think that is a coincidence." The fact that so many men had suddenly shown up this week had not felt suspicious to him before. Only now did he see it for what it was. "Pandora knew we'd would show up here." Dakar groaned at the revelation of yet another complication. "That was obvious. That was also why I wanted to regain my Shining Number before we proceeded." Azar had far less to fear from Pandora and the agency now. Plus he had made arrangements to keep the Seven busy.

...

Both directors were inside the main office. Through its windows they could watch into the cargo bay where the Probe was loaded into an army plane. The plane was surrounded by a dozen infantry men. Director Powell was not sure if the faster schedule and extra manpower were necessary, but Boothe had insisted on them after everything that had happened at the main office. They both soon discovered that these measures were quite necessary, and yet pointless at the same time. "What was that?" It started as low rumbling, and evolved into explosive pandemonium as a blast of light struck the lower floor and buried all the soldiers in light. "The enemy is here!" The light soon spread into the office as well. Powell reacted quickly and pushed a button on a console. It generated a force wall around them and warded off the light. "Who dares to attack us?"

"We do." Five people teleported right into the office. "You?" Boothe recognized one of them as former agent Rita Huxley. Another was one of their own hired men! "Artega, you traitor." They were here with Azar, Shin and Ruby. Necara, Korose and Dakar were at the level below. "What are you doing? Dont lay down your weapons!" Boothe's men all had dropped their guns and stared around dazed and confused. "I cured them already, director Boothe." Azar told him. He would have done the same to them, except he could not break through their barrier. "Your Number makes all barriers impregnable, I see." Azar could not get through, but he knew who could. "Leave these idiots to me." Rita nodded to Azar and took out her Number card.

"How soon you forget, ex-agent B; all of have Numbers whose powers we can invoke.." Powell placed his hand on Boothe's shoulder, and the two suddenly disappeared. "Wha-huh? Hey!"" Now Rita and Azar were inside the barrier, and the two directors were outside it. "Idiots you said?" Powell smirked, just before he and Boothe vanished again. They again left two people where they had just stood: Necara and Dakar. "What..just happened?" Dakar was certain that he had not moved himself here through his own power. "Feh! His Number lets him and whoever he touches switch places with anyone else he can think of!" Necara explained before taking out her Numberless card and summoned it. "Like that will stop me.. us!" The angel smashed the window and flew out into the hangar bay. There it released a blast upon the probe. "Destroy it!" The blast filled the room with smoke. "Necara, there were still people!"

"...there?" To Dakars surprise, the attack had not even damaged the Probe. "Nice try, runt." Boothe chuckled from behind another erected energy wall. "This Probe has a built-in forcefield. With my Number by its side, you will never get near it." He then glared at his own soldiers, who were too overloaded with memories to even acknowledge what was going on. "Director Boothe, Powell, you have to trust me. We need to destroy the Probe." Artega tried to reason with them. "This Probe was built exactly to stop such nonsense, Artega!" Boothe growled as he picked up one gun. "Hmph. Powell, you know what to do." The plan would take too long to escape. There was only one person who could get the Probe to safety now. "I do. But it tires me so.." Powells Number could not just move people he touched, but objects as well. "You will never find where we take thi..wha?" Though there was one person they had overlooked. "Agent K?" Boothe was attacked from behind by Korose, and now wrestled him for his weapon. "Powell!" Boothe barked at him to do his duty. "I will not let you!" Korose managed to knock Boothe out by throwing him against the wall. "Ngah!" Powell shrieked and quickly raced towards the Probe. Korose only barely managed to catch up with him before..

"Korose!" The two had disappeared along with the probe. "They left? Where could they have gone?" Shin only saw two people down below where they had once been.. A father, son and a large tractor. "A farm?" Just how long was the range on this Numbers power?

...

"Now look what you have gone and done, agent K!" Powell, Korose and the Probe wound up in the middle of a field of crops. Korose had grabbed the probe just in time. "I assume I interfered with your plans." Korose did not know the specifics about Powells Number. But from what Ann had said, it could be reasoned that Powell had to change who he could switch places with, if he abruptly had to take two people instead of one. "Yes of course you did. Now I need to think up a new person to ..ngeh!" Powell flinched backwards as Korose walked towards him. "Back off! I..I am warning you!" He rolled up his suits sleeve and revealed a D-pad. "You seek to challenge me?" Korose was not entirely surprised. "I can not overpower a hulk of a man like you in a fight. But in a duel, things are not so one-sided, eh? I just have to beat you before your friends find me and then I can take the Probe!" Powell could not leave the Probe behind. This the only way he could ditch Korose. "I can not refuse, when a Number is involved. I accept.."

Korose's LP: 8000 Powells LP: 8000

"I begin!" Korose was not only stronger than Powell, but faster too. He had already taken the first turn and set down one monster and one trap card in it. "I remember you agent K. You were not always this rash, or disloyal. Such a pain to the kid we picked from the streets, to fall so low." Powell also placed one monster face-down and ended his turn.

"I have learned that loyaly should only be given to those who have earned it, director. The agency lost that right even before you all became possessed by the Numbers." Before the turn ended properly, Korose activated a trap. "I activate Soul Transition. If I control no special summoned monsters, I can sacrifice a normal summoned or set level 4 monster." The trap tributed his face-down Noble Knight, Artorigus(4/1800/1800). "I can draw two cards in exchange for this sacrifice." The trap also blocked special summons this turn, but that was a minor nuisance in an opponents turn. "I take my turn now and summon Medraut!" Korose normal summoned a new monster; a blonde Noble Knight(4/1700/1000). "I start my battle phase now!" Medraut took his sword out and destroyed Powells facedown card with it. That monster's effect was now activated. "Such crude tactics just do not work, K." A tiny prospector mole(2/800/800) immediately dug its way out of his grave with a drill, still in defense position."My Mogmole can summon itself after its own destruction."

Korose paused to think and moved to his 2nd main phase. "...I unlock the power of Medraut, as he is a Gemini monster with two states. I can equip him with a Noble Arms equip spell card to turn him from his normal state to an effect state." The Knight was given an silver sword and shield; The Noble Arms of Destiny. "Medraut can destroy this equipment to summon a Noble Knight from my deck in defense position! I choose the Knight Bedwyr!" Medraut broke his own weapon, in order to call for the help of the silverhaired Bedwyr(4/1600/1500). "I can also send one Noble Arms spell card to my graveyard, when Bedwyr is special summoned." Bedwyr opened his arms and received the Noble sword of Gallatin from Korose's deck. He then placed it on the ground, letting it sink into an emerging lake of water. "Okay, so your turn was not done yet?" Powell seemed mildly enthused now.

"I have three more cards to play, so no it was not, director! I re-activate the Noble Arms of Destiny!" When a Noble Arms was destroyed, as it had been through Medrauts effect, it could re-equip itself to a living Noble Knight. The silver shield and sword were given to Bedwyr this time. "I can then tribute one normal light-attribute monster, to summon Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn from my hand!" Medraut had reverted to his 'normal' state without his armements. Now Korose could tribute it to special summon the red-eyed knight of darkness: Laundsallyn(5/2000/800). "I, lastly, activate a field spell: Noble Knights of the Round Table!" A round table was placed behind Korose. "I can send one Noble Knight into my cemetery each endphase, if my field and grave hold three or more Noble Knights!" Four seats were taken, two by the living Bedwyr and Laundsallyn and two by the spirits of Artorigus and Medraut. "I send Noble Knight Eachtar!" They were joined by a third spirit; the noble brother of Laundsallyn.

"Well well. So there was more to your deck than brute force? Or there is now..." Powell drew his card. "I am willing to bet you are thinking about my choice of cards." He said as he summoned another beast, a young deer(2/400/900) with grass growing on its back. "I confess to loving nature just as much as I love the mysteries of the universe. Even this simple farm has its charm. But there is simply nothing left undiscovered on this earth. The Numbers are all that remain 'mystic'... But enough about me. My monster is the Mystical Beast Valerifawn. Once in my turn, it can discard one card.." Powell sent a monster from his hand into the graveyard. "..and revive a beast of level 1 or 2." And Valerifawn took that discarded back out and placed it on the field; a white bunny(2/200/1400) with chia-like plants growing out of its back. "This here is the Mystical Beast Kalantosa. When another beast summons it, Kalantosa can destroy one of your cards." The rabbit curled up into a ball of spiky plants and rolled towards Laundsallyn.

"I activate Bedwyrs effect! He can give one Noble Arms to another Knight on my field!" Bedwyr handed his brother the Noble Arms of Destiny. "Hm?" Now that Laundsallyn was equipped with that Noble spell, it could stave off its own destruction once this turn. The Black knight used the silver shield to bounce Kalantosa back. "Interesting. One leaves itself open to save the other. Indeed, joined forces can accomplish great things." Powell took Valerifawn and Kalantosa, putting them on top of each other. "Such a shame we lost your contribution to our cause."

"I shall Xyz-summon the Sky Cavalry Centaurea!" The two Mystical beasts overlayed into each other in the sky. One sacred centaur angel(2/2000/0) rode down the path of light they had carved in their ascent. "I equip it with a spell card: Big Bang Shot! It adds 400 attackpoints and piercing powers to my monster's attack!" The hooves of the divine centaur(2400/0) were sharpened greatly. "Now.. it attacks your knight Bedwyr!" Centaurea first stabbed the Noble warrior with its lance, and then it trampled it under its feet. His master had to share its pain due to Big Bang Shot. "I..ngh." Korose realized switching the Arms again was pointless, as Noble Arms of Destiny had already stopped one death this turn. That was not the only reason, as Powell was happy to make clear. "Centaurea can not be destroyed in battle! And by detaching one material it can return a monster, that it battled with, to a players hand." Not even the Destiny Arms could get around that kind of field removal. "You should never have gone against us, agent K. You are just one man, against all the power in the world."

Korose's LP: 7100

...

"Every minute we waste, Azar gets to infect someone else. Why are we standing around here?" Subito's patience had its limits. The Seven had been sitting here in this monitor room at the base for hours. Knowing what Azar could do now had only fueled his determination to apprehend him. "Until Kapha has developed an antidote of sorts, we can not go out there! That's what Darcy said!" Claud, like the others, were less inclined to go out there and risk getting infected. "You keep calling him Azar. But he is infected himself, right? With Chaos.." Ion had noticed how Subito's stance on Azar had slowly changed over the last few days. As far as he saw it, Azar was just a puppet of Chaos. "I am not so sure anymore." Subito could not even tell if Chaos was in control. That man sounded like Azar, and his powers were nothing like the powers of Chaos anymore "I want to end this as much as you, Subito. Even if you should take this time to recover." Ariel could see the damage Damage was doing to himself. His face was pale and his hands were trembling. "I want my brother back too. But.. maybe.." With all of this mayhem, she began to question their stance. She could not understand why Dakar had looked so guilty about his betrayal back at Neo Avalon. "Maybe.. they are still the people we know."

"Excuse the intrusion." Xander walked into the room. "Kapha has detected signs of Chaos.. Azar, whichever you prefer. You are not going to enjoy this news however." Xander was used to being the bearer of bad news by now. He activated his D-pad to visualize a holographic map of the world. "Huh? That can't be right.." There were five coordinates marked on the map. "I am affraid it is, Claud. Either Azar and his friends are in five places at once, or the spread has begun."

(To be Continued in Cipher 25: The Mind does not See Itself)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Noble Knight Bedwyr  
Noble Knight Eachtar

-  
Round Table of the Noble Knights

-  
Soul Transition

**New Cards used by Director Powell  
**MogMole  
Mystical Beast Valerifawn  
Mystical Beast Kalantosa  
Sky Cavalry Centaurea

-  
Big Bang Shot


	26. (Cipher 191): The Mind does not See

**(Cipher 191) 25: The Mind does not See Itself**

Korose's LP: 7100 Powells LP: 8000

"Your cause." Powell and Korose were still in the middle of their duel. Korose's turn began. "I knew your cause, all iterations of it. You wanted to stop the Numbers, you wanted to control the Numbers.." In a way the agency had finally gotten the world they wanted, without realizing it. "I promise you this, Powell. I may have accepted this duel, but I shall not lose it!"

"That is a bold statement, agent K. Is this said because you fear failing your friends?" The amused director inquired. "I do not fear. I only regret my failures once they are made. I do not intend to fail here. I begin my turn and summon Borz!" Korose added a new warrior to his table; the young knight(4/1700/900) with black hair. "He is a Gemini monster as well." Korose followed it up with a quickplay spell card. "I activate Gemini Spark; I can destroy a Gemini monster I control and one card you control!" Borz raised his arms to the sky and erupted into pure light rays. "I target Big Bang Shot!" The equip spell was erased from Saintaurea's body'(2/2000/0) by the energy flash. "Pardon?" Powells monster then started to corrode itself. "Kheh, when Big Bang Shot leaves the field, its wielder is banished.." Powell figured the plan out too late. His beastwarrior angel was removed even though Gemini Spark had not targeted it.

"I can draw a card afterwards." Korose used the second effect of Gemini Spark, which left him with a decent trade-off and Powell with two cards less. Korose had not even started to attack yet. "I can now banish two fallen Noble Knights to special summon the Knight Eachtar from the graveyard!" The spirits of Artorigus and Medraut left the table, they were banished so that a torch-carrying knight(5/1600/2000) with the green cape could return to his body of flesh and armor of steel. "I overlay Knight Eachtar with Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn!" Eachtar merged with his half-brother Laundsallyn(5/2000/800); becoming xyz-materials for a rank 5 Xyz monster. "I call the Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!" The ultimate form of the Noble Knights king(5/2200/2200) took his seat at the table; his hair was as fiercely red as his cape.

"Artorigus the Sacred can claim any Noble Arms weapon that rests on the ground!" The xyz-summoned King opened his hands and drew both the shield of the Destiny Noble Arms and the glowing sword of the Gallatin Noble Arms. The sword added a sizeable attackboost to Artorigus(5/3200/2200). "He can also boast of another power! Once it may destroy any monster without battling it!" Korose detached one of the Knights from his Xyz-monster, sending the spirit of Eachtar out into the fray. "I will destroy Mogmole! I know its effect of revival can only be used once each duel!" Eachtars ethereal torch was thrown towards Powells mole monster(2/800/800) and burned it to death. Mogmole would not escape its grave this time. "I equip my King with the equip spell; Magnum Shield!" Artorigus' silver shield was upgraded into a crimson steel shield, lined with golden rims. "Artorigus, through Magnum shield, will gain attackpoints equal to his defense points! I will now make my strike." The Sacred King(5400/2200) placed Gallatin on the Magnum Shield and launched into a direct thrust towards Powell. "Geh!" The director was thrown to the ground.

Powells LP: 2600

When he got back up again, he saw that his situation was a lot worse than simply lagging behind with lifepoints. "You're.." He noticed _them_ before Korose did. "Chaos!" The agent turned around to see what Powell was yelling about. Azar and everyone else stood a few feet away from them in the crop field, along with the two farmers who this farm belonged to. "You found me?" Powell cursed. He did not think he'd have this little time. "The owners of this place were very helpful to us, once I cured them." Azar nodded to the farmers, who quickly shuffled off to get away from all this madness. Their assistance was no longer required. "Now this game can be done with." Necara stated and glared at Azar. "I agree." Azar had already taken care of Boothe back at the base, he could do the same with Powell here so Korose would not have to risk himself any further.

"Azar, stop!" Korose did not agree. "I need to finish this duel. I do not want my battles to be won for me." Korose placed two cards down in his spell/trap zone. "What? This is the worst time to stick to your damn honor, Korose!" Rita hissed. "I know he can be cured. I however accepted a challenge from him. I swore to let him go, should he win. That means you can not destroy the probe until then either." Korose made his stance clear. "You..what? Gah!" It still sounded like insanity to Rita. "...I will let this duel continue then." Yet this Azars answer. "HUH!?" And as much as Rita or anyone else wanted to argue, Azar and his powers were the only thing that could end this duel prematurely.

"I thank you." Korose said, as he ended his turn. His field spell of the Round Table send another Noble Knight from his deck into the graveyard. "Ho. Such pride will cost you dearly." Powell played a spell card. "I activate Obedience Schooled! If I control no monsters I can special summon three level 1 or 2 effect-type beasts from my deck with those effects sealed!" Three of the same moss and plant-covered unicorns(1/700/500) came out of his deck. "These are my Mystical Beasts of the Forest - Uniflora. By tributing them, I can special summon any beast from my graveyard!" This was demonstrated when Powell tributed two of them to revive the Mystical Beasts Kalantosa(2/200/1400) and Valerifawn(2/400/900). "Hey! I thought you said their effects were sealed!" Shin cried foul. "Only on the field. A tribute is a cost, which can not be negated. The effect activate afterwards, from the graveyard." His father had to explain it to Shin.

"I see that kid of yours has a lot to learn, Artega." Powell chuckled. Because another beast had special summoned Kalantosa, the white rabbits destruction effect was triggered. "I destroy Noble Arms of Destiny!" Kalantosa rolled up into a ball of spiked leaves and crushed the silver shield. "I can re-equip the Noble Arms when it is destroyed!" Korose countered quickly and used the equip spells effect to place it back on his Sacred King. "But that trick only works once a turn!" Powell moved on to a normal summon and tributed the last Uniflora along with Kalantosa. "I tribute summon the Mystical Beast of the Forest - Alpacaribou!" This was no small animal, this was a giant hybrid of a Caribou deer, an Alpaca and a giant tree. The Forest beast(7/2700/2100) towered over the crops. "Now that Kalantosa is in the graveyard!" Powell discarded one card from his hand, to satisfy the cost of Valerifawn's effect. "I will bring it back once more!" The fawn special summoned the white rabbit. Kalantosa's triggered effect targeted the Noble Arms of Destiny a second time. This time around the silver shield was destroyed beyond repair.

"Then now, at last.. the moment you traitors have all been waiting for." Powell took Kalantosa and Valerifawn, using them as Xyz-materials all over again. "I Xyz-summon _my _Number! I call Number 26: Spade Knightmare!" The network of overlays opened the portal. An armored yet riderless black horse(2/1300/1000) stormed through it. "Even your Number is a beast?" Shin had expected something spacey, or mechanical. "You and your friends claim the Numbers came to us in the last few years. This proves otherwise, Son of Artega.. this Number came to me long before I gained an interest in the great beyond! Number 26 can destroy a spell you control, when he enters the field!" The Knightmare's hooves were powerful enough to crush stone and steel. The creature unleashed a bloodcurdling cry as it stomped down on Artorigus, smashing his Magnum Shield and weakening the King(3200/1800).

_Number 26: Spade Knightmare, 2/1300/1000 Earth/Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 2 Monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with a "Number" monster. When this card is Xyz-summoned, destroy 1 face-up spell or trap card on the field.  
__When two monsters battle, and the difference between the two monsters' ATK is less than 2000, you can detach 1 Xyz-material from this card; destroy the monster with the higher ATK (damage calculation is not applied)_

"Now, with a difference of less than 2000 attackpoints..." Powell moved to the battle phase and Alpacaribou rose to its feet. "..Spade Knightmare can kill your King, while my Beast survives!" The great Alpacan deer was about to drive its own hooves into Artogirus. "I activate my trap; Mirror Mail!" Number 26's effect had one weakness. "I can change the attackpoints of my attacked monster, making it match yours!" Spade Knightmare could not wield its powers if two equally strong monsters did battle. "I anticipated that." Powell however terminated this counter by discarding a card. "I activate Chow Chow Chan! I send it out of my hand to negate a trap that was activated upon my attack declaration!" A chinese dog in robes popped in and gulped down the Mirror Mail with one big bite. "Your trap was too predictable, Agent K!" The battle phase continued.

Yet Korose did not break his stride. "I suspected it was, director." He flipped the other set card, a quickplay spell. "I activate Swords at Dawn; a destroyed equip spell is remade and equipped to an appropriate target! I choose Magnum Shield! I will make the difference between our attackpoints higher than 2000 again!" As Alpacaribou slammed into the Noble King, the beast met more resistance than it had expected. Artorigus(5400/2200) blocked the impact with his Magnum shield. "What?" That shield than turned to a Magnum sword and slashed Alpacaribou's legs. "Rgh! It does not matter! While Alpacaribou is in attack position, my beasts can not be destroyed as a result of battle.. I.." Powell was so invested in his monsters effect, that he did not even pick up a more damning fact. "Director." Mr. Artega had to clear his throat to make him notice. "What is ..it!?" Only then did he calculate how much life he had lost; all of it. "This is..not.. I lost... in two hits?" The duel was already over. That was his only chance to get away.

Powells LP: 0

"You know what this means." Necara smirked. Now they did not have to hold back for Korose's sake. She summoned her Angel of the End to cut the probe down and blow it to smithereens. "Why.." Within the next second, the director was overwhelmed by Azars light and his mind was 'freed'. "Ah." The culture shock was so great he passed out on the spot.

Korose deactivated his D-pad and turned to the others to apologize. "I apologize. I did not want to worry you, Rita.. everyone. I must keep my promises." He said with a stiff smile."I did not however think I would lose to this man." In the end the fight had not been very close. "Bah. I can't stay mad at you. Even if one of these days that attitude is going to screw you over." Rita shook her head. No damage was done, that was what mattered. "Then is it time now, Azar? Can we start the cure now?" Dakar asked. With the Probe gone, there was nothing immediate they needed to take care of. "Yes. We can begin.. right now."

...

"Who are you?!" A woman in her apartment yelled as she was approached by a blonde stranger in white clothes. It was Ion, and the fact that he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere had not made him look very innocent. "Calm down lady. I'm just here to check on a few things. For starters, are you doing alright?" He knew very well how this looked, but this was where he had been told to go to. If he did not know Darcy better, he would have called this a sick joke. "I do not know anything! One moment there was a bright light, that was it! I am not crazy!" Loud she stayed nonetheless. "Nobody said you were, miss..." Clearly something was going on here at least. "I think this is the right place, but I do not see Chaos anywhere. He must have scrammed or he is..hiding?" Ion spoke into his D-pad, while the raving woman continued to look around her. "What's that? Kapha says his energy is right here in this room?" Ion started to whisper. "The others?" Then he heard even more surprising news. "They met someone like her?" All five locations appeared to have a person ranting about a bright light.

"Ion."

"Wha?" That was Azars voice._ "The TV?" _Ion turned his attention to the source, the Tv-screen. The woman had left it on. "Claud, Ariel, Xander, Subito.. and Darcy. You are all watching now. I can see through _their_ eyes that you are." Azar was there, standing in a television studio set. "He is on the international news channel!" Ion cried out. To his horror, the others responded likewise. "The five people you visited are the first people I 'cured'. I told them subconsciously to leave their TV on this channel. I wanted you to hear me. The rest of the world will soon follow.. this broadcast will not be something that can be buried online. It is time to tell them."

"But you do not need to hear it from me."

Azar walked off the screen, and another man appeared. "!" This mans appearance stunned all five duelists who were fixated on the TV, but none as much as Subito. "My name.. is Grant Artega." It was his father. "What I say now is not unfamiliar to some of you who are seeing this, but I have to say it nonetheless. We are all living in a false world. And when I say 'we', I mean all of us.. All of mankind is trapped in this lie. The Numbers which we hold dear, which we believe to be the source of our humanity and intelligence.. is nothing of the sort. They are not of our world, they are not from our past. The Numbers are invaders, beings from another world that people like me found twenty years ago. Humanity did not uncover the Numbers within them, they found us and inserted themselves in us. Our memories were changed and they made us believe we had always been partners. In truth, they have only been with us for less than a year. All the good they have done us nevertheless started through deception. For the sake of our future, for an equal coexistence, we must end this lie."

"Azar.. I will never.. forgive this." Subito watched in anger, unable to do anything.

By now more people had noticed that the news channel had been hi-jacked. "Father, Mother! Come quickly!" One of them was Camilla Helder. Her heart felt like it had stopped when she realized who was behind this, as the feed switched to another camera and showed Azar again.

"Is this why I cant remember Tuesday?" Trey too was seeing everything on his wallwide TV-screen. Suddenly his blackout from a few days ago could have a better explanation than a drunken stupor.

"If Azar is there.." Sky, Natasha along with Judith and Deckard, were seeing this as well. "Then Shin.. oh please let him be alright." Natasha did not know whether she wanted to see him or not. Shin showing up on live television would not look good.

But the camera stuck with Azar. He sat in front of another person, the News host. "Please.. please do not do it. I do not want to lose my Number." He pleaded with these people who had broken into the set, who had already attacked the rest of the crew with some strange energy. "I am not here to take your Number. That is another fabrication I am here to remove." Azar looked at the camera. "Most of you do not know me. Some do." He did not know that his family was seeing this. Though it was inevitable that they did.

"I am the same as the being you once called Chaos, or Dusk. I do not go by those names anymore. I am Azar Helder, and I will not hide this. I have seen the world the Numbers come from, it is a place beyond imagining. I have communicated with the divider of Numbers and Order, and convinced him to undo his ultimate solution. Because when we found their world, we endangered their existence. Their answer was to take over our world, and make us like them. That future was avoided. The powers of Chaos and Order were joined, a balance was forged. Now our two worlds can coexist, the Numbers no longer need to threaten them with the end of identity. Yet one of them kept fighting. Me and my friends dueled against this enemy and all other Numbers. It was a battle that we lost, but that did not mean our fight was over. I am here now, thanks largely to my friends. And I have regained the power that the divider of Numbers had given me. I will show you this power, right now. Not to remove this mans Number.. but to give him a choice." Azar placed his hand on the mans forehead, and made the light appear. "No. NO AH!" He screamed at first. Then he settled down, as he felt all anxiety and pain flow away. "How do you feel?"

"I feel.. like I dont know where I am. But..the same. I still have.." The man took out his Number. For him it had assumed the form of a simple ID card. "But..everything you said.. was true!" He remembered it now, he remembered every report he had made about the Number attacks when they had gone global. He remembered even though all footage of those days was erased and replaced with new footage. "Everything he said was true!" The man started to shout at the camera. "The Numbers tricked us!"

"There it is. That is your truth. I will spread this cure among you. It will not remove your bond with your Number, you can choose to do that yourself. Your thoughts will be your own again. Now.. go." Azar snapped his fingers. "What on earth?" That was when all light broke out. "It was a trap!" Xander shouted as the person he had visited started releasing the same energy that had attacked the man on screen. "That crafty bastard!" Ion cursed as the same was happening to the woman in the apartment. "You need this. He said you did." The woman told him, as the light jumped after Ion and everyone else in the entire city. It was spilling out over the five corners of the planet. Azar had not chosen these locations and people at random. They were more than just the first, or people to distract the seven with. They were carriers.

"The one who started all of this, the Number who forced this union... I am now speaking to you directly. Let them make this choice, see for yourself who has this desire and who has not. You will not take this from them. It is not your world anymore." Azar concluded, and the screen went black.

(To be Continued in Cipher 26: Looking Down on Creation)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus

-  
Magnum Shield  
Swords at Dawn

**New Cards used by Director Powell  
**Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest  
Alpacaribou, Mystical Beast of the Forest  
_Number 26: Spade Knightmare  
_Chow Chow Chan

-  
Obedience Schooled


	27. (Cipher 192): Looking Down on Creation

**(Cipher 192) 26: Looking Down on Creation**

It was dark on one side of the world and bright on the other. And yet both halves beheld a radiance that overpowered the sun and moon. The Light was spreading, finding every last person on the planet. They were freed from the lies told by their Numbers and from their influence on the conscious desires. People were given a choice; leave the Numbers or stay with them. This way there was balance, this way both were equals. The Numbers could be used to improve the world, that could not be denied. But now their future would be decided by all, not by one. Now humans minds

"I can't wait to get back home." The scene was a square in the middle of the city at night. From there the gang of duelists could follow the results of Azars actions. Now they were safe to be seen by human eyes again. "Natasha will probably still yell at me, but at least she wont think I am crazy." Shins homesickness had not diminished but Azar had told him that it would take a while before the cure would reach his city. "Yeah and I still gotta apologize to Judy and Deckard, I guess." Ruby shrugged. She did not really have a place to call home, but there were people waiting for her. "I am sure they will understand what we did." Shins father told them both. "Boy, I hope so... mom too. And.. do you think Subito is better now?" Shin had so many faces to go back to, he did not know where to start. "Perhaps. Your brother has always been a bit stubborn. I always joke that he gets that from your mother, but..I think you and him got enough from us both." Grant started to laugh. "Yeah." His son joined in on the laughter out of habit. "Well, I am just glad we can take a breather for once." Ruby looked around. Plenty of shops were around. "Let's get something to eat before I keel over."

A few floors up, was the healer himself. Azar sat on top of the roof and waited. He could feel each and every person that received the cure. It would not be long now.

"Rita.." He could also feel Rita and Dakar join him on said roof. "You want to know.. what will happen to Claud now?" Azar had expected them to come with questions. "I _have_ to know. We all think Claud died, but what if..what if he was saved?" The Claud Rita had worked with in the last few months had felt so much like the Claud that gave his life for her on the top of Neo Avalon. Was that just another emotion Pandora forced on her? How could she tell if he was real or not? "I asked myself the same thing, about him and Ion." Azar did not know what would happen to Ion and Claud if they made their choice. He did not know who they were now. "Pandora always said that Ion and Clauds memories and minds became part of It, when they awoke their Number. If their bodies were intact, maybe.." Ions body never died, only his mind. Clauds body was never found. "I have dealt with enough death in my life, and yet I can not give any guarantees." Dakar spoke up. "I do not know where Claud went when he died, or if someone like Pandora could bring him back. I do believe there has to be more to life than.. this. More even than the infinite world that the Numbers come from."

"There isn't."

"Necara?" The girl in grey was with them now, her angel of the End had carried her up here. "There is nothing more; no purpose and no meaning." She said grimly as she stepped down on the roof. "Of course you would say that! You have been raised by that madman Kapha!" Rita cursed back at her. She was not in any mood to listen to words like these. "Claud is dead." Necara kept saying them anyway. "Pandora saved the body, and the memories, and the experiences. But that Claud died. The one who's using that body now is just a copy that was not told it died. It may as well be the real Claud, because there is no other way to..." She was silenced in the middle of her sentence. "Stop it." Rita had slapped her in the face. "Stop saying it!" She cried. "What do you know? You never liked anything! You never had feelings for anyone!" She continued to scream, while the girl just looked away. "You lash out because you are affraid..you deny the truth." Necara brushed the side of her cheek. It did hurt, but the pain did not bother her. "Affraid? Me?" Rita shuddered and inhaled. "That's not me! That's you! You're the one who is affraid!"

"What? Why?"

"Rita, maybe this is enough." Dakar felt the discussion was getting out of hand. However Rita kept him back with her open hand. "She needs to hear this!.. You do not know what you want, do you?" Rita asked as she looked Necara in the eyes. "All you do is get back at people who anger you, people like Kapha and Pandora. After you end them, end their plans.. then what? What are you gonna do, what do you want now?" Necara tried to meet her gaze. "I..you.." She could not, she could not say anything back. "You do not know. You think you understand how the world works, but you have no idea. Life scares you, and you are all alone."

"No!" Now _her _words had pushed Necara to the point of snapping. "I am not! I have Her!" The angel flew besides her and brought its weapon down in front of Rita's neck. "Necara!" Dakar shouted. She did not listen. "Heh! That thing? If Claud is just an empty shell, than so is that!" But Rita just sneered at the angel, she was not intimidated. "That's not.." This was the second, after Darcy, that someone called her Angel a doll. "She IS real!" Necara insisted, even as her words lacked any conviction. "And Claud is real to me! You lost that 'thing' before, and it hurt! Why can't you see that we all can feel the same way! Do you have to destroy to understand anything?"

"Necara, Rita, stand down." Azar raised his voice at that point, but he kept a calm tone. "We will not find the answers like this. We need to take the next step to them... Things may not be over yet." Azar said, with a hint of discomfort in his tone. "Not over yet? What do you mean?" If Azar sounded worried, Dakar was definitely getting worried. "I can not be sure. Something does not feel like it should." Azar had been trying to focus on the people around the globe, about everyone that was supposed to accept the Light. "It is not flowing..anymore." There were less of them than before. Why was this?

"Azar! I have urgent news!" They heard Korose cry from down below. "News?" Azar and the others teleported his way down to street level. "Huh? What's up?" Shin, Ruby and Grant were soon with them. "I was investigating the area, looking for signs of improvement and seeing how people dealt with the 'cure'. I heard little good.." Korose took a moment to catch his breath. He had run here as fast as he could. "They rejected the choice, they all kept their Number. I would not have found this strange on its own, yet.." Korose had only been able to inspect a few bars and streets. "I heard talk of a voice that convinced them to keep the Numbers."  
...

What Korose had told them was true. Every person they could find was talking to someone else about what had happened to them. One claimed he heard his own Number talk to him at last, the other believed it was the voice of God Himself. Every person had their own justification for this phenomenon, but the endresult was always the same.. they decided to keep their Number. "I can not believe this. Don't they remember anything?" Dakar did not hear them even consider that the man on the TV had been telling them the truth. They still had faith in their Numbers. "I thought this would finally be the end of this." For a while he had believed he could walk the streets as himself again. Now he had to employ his illusions to mask them. "The voice. That must be Pandora, right?" Shin asked Azar as if he could clear this up. But he was just as lost as the rest. "That can not be. When I gave them my energy, it pushed Pandora out of their minds. It should have.." Azar turned to Grant. "Did you hear It? Do you hear a voice now?" Were they all like this? "No. I do not hear anything." Not all, Grant seemed to have resisted it. "Then.." That just made matters more complicated.

"!" And it could get worser still. "The.." He felt eight Numbers, six of them very powerful, approaching rapidly. They were here! "Over there!" Rita pointed back towards the square, where six people had appeared; Subito and the other Overhundred Duelists. "Bro!" The seven had found them somehow. That alone could account for their arrival here. The sixth person with them was Darcy. "She is here too? That's so not good." Ruby said with a shiver. If Darcy was showing up on the frontlines, then they were going all out. "You can't hide, Dakar!" There was more bad news. The seven could see them. "Huh?" Dakars Masquerade number was cancelled out somehow. "Ariel?" His own sister stared directly at him. "How did you.." Her Number could absorb energy, but it could not affect passive abilities like his. She should not have been able to undo his invisibility. Unless it had gotten stronger somehow. "Ariel. Why do you still.. why did you choose this? Why did all of you? How could you?" They were the same, they had all rejected Azars gift.

"Because of Kapha." Darcy stepped forward. "Because he gave us two weapons against you. One being a card that protects the Overhundreds from your influence." The five duelists placed their hands on their extra deck, revealing a strange Chaos Xyz monster. None of them could make out what it was however. "The other being this.." Darcy herself pulled out a normal Xyz monster. "That is..?" It looked like a single-digit Number. That fact terrified Azar. "This is one the numbers from the vault. One of the first Nine. Or more specifically, this is a Number that was modified from them." Darcy placed the card on her D-pad, in a special slot. "These are the first Numbers, no-one alive can summon them. But.. Kapha created something that could." Darcy put the D-pad on the floor and made it emit a projection of light. "No." Despite everything pointing to one conclusion, Azar wanted it to be anything else. His hope died in an instant. The light came together in the shape of a woman. "No." A woman with long green hair, and bright purple eyes...

"Good evening. _I _am Esther."

"Wh-what!?" The woman, the thing, it stood there right before them! "_You_ are the one who stopped me?" This went beyond what Azar had foreseen, the Eight had come out herself. "That's Pandora, that is the enemy I have been trying to warn you about!" She was not even pretending, 'Esther'' wore the same orange/gold dress as when she was acting as a catalyst. But nobody seemed to realize this, not Ariel who had lost a duel to her or Ion who had been killed by her. "I am not the enemy but the solution. I am Esther; a visual interface of a program created by sir Kapha. And I am the Eight..." The woman pulled the Xyz-card towards her, the physical Number 8 card. "I was created to fuse with the power of the unique eight; Heraldic King Genom Heritage. This Number was chosen from the Nine, for it possesses the ability to influence every other Number below it. It can connect to all Numbers everywhere and at any time. So I did, I analyzed your 'energy and vaccinated the people to your corruption." Her words were the shape of the story the seven had been told, the cover they believed in ."You understand, don't you Azar?" Darcy said. "As great as your power is, you can not outclass with one of the first Nine."

"No I understand. It is very clear. I know what you really are, but you should not have been able to do it. Not this quickly! Unless..." The only way Azar could see Pandora counter-acting his 'cure' this fast, was if It had planned for it before it even happened. "Darcy! You know what really happened! Tell them! Tell them what she is!" She was the only one who could put this lie to rest. "I.. do not know what you want me to say, Azar." But Darcy wouldn't do it. Or couldn't.

"Are you trying to get us to think that an artificial intelligence is the big bad you always talked about? Come on Azar." Ion scoffed at the whole story. "I know you may not believe it, but it is the truth, Ion! I have seen it with my own eyes, I have seen her.." Korose could not stand by in silence any longer. "You and I faced her together! You gave your life to fight her!" Though it meant that he had to bring up every last detail of their past. "This again? Look, I know I aint dead. I don't know how Azar sweet talked you into listening to that nonsense." Ion started to say before he was interrupted. "Maybe you should do the same!" Ruby yelled. "You keep telling us that we are the ones who are fooled, but you never even stopped to wonder if its you instead?" She knew what she believed in, she would not go back to lies now. "If neither of us can be sure, then what is reality? Does it even matter?" Xander replied nonchalantly. "What matters is that you gave them a choice, and they chose the Numbers. Esther merely put their memories back in order. One world is clearly better than the other. No lie can cover that up."

"Rita. Please, we should not be apart. Think of the team!" Claud meanwhile was still ready to accept her back. "Claud I.. I want to think that your side is the correct one. But where I stand now, feels right.." Rita did not know what to do anymore. Only one thing was for certain, she did not want to lose Claud again. "What about you, Dakar? How can you betray us? We swore to always be honest against each other." Ariel was getting to her brother as well. "Sister. I am honest. Everything I do is to do away with lies. I am not joking around this time." As much as Dakar had faith in his cause, he still could not see himself dueling his sister. He did not have it in him. It seemed the same was the case for Shin and Grant. They just stood opposite of Subito and said nothing. Subito in fact seemed far interested in Azar himself, Azar had never seen him look so enraged.. or exhausted. The tension was palpable, a massacre could break out at any second.

_"She is trying to weaken their resolve, I have to remove her." _Azar raised his hand. "Pandora!" He would have to hit her with all he had, all the energy of Chaos and Numeron. Maybe he could disrupt her control that way. "No." Esther raised her hand as well. "You are not going to do that." The light that Azar sent out was deflected with the mere flick of a finger. "!" And almost by instinct, Azar tried to teleport out of the way.. instead he fell into the darkness.

_An agonizingly loud burst of noise filled Azars ears. His concentration was shattered. "My subconscious?" His mind had drawn back into the depths, but not deep enough. _"Azar."_ For It was here with him. _"You went a little too far this time."_ Pandora/Esther/whoever she was now; It was speaking to him. _"I had fun playing with you, but the games have to end some time."_ He was spoken to like a friend.. and a child. Azar felt tiny in his own consciousness. "NO!" He tried to fight It, to shout back at the shadow. "I do not know what you did, how you kept your control over them. But now that you have stepped into our world, we can fight you!" That he had driven 'her' to come out of hiding, had to mean something! Instead, what she said in return, broke his conviction. _"Azar, I don't think you understand just how different we are. I planned all of this the first time you used your 'cure' after your duel with Hal Stone. I only needed one second to form a 'vaccine' and two to hand it out to my loved ones."_ It laughed. _"I told you to stop dreaming, Azar. The sooner you accept the world, the sooner we can be friends again. I want to love you.. please let me.." _Everything went silent.._

"Gah!"

Azar woke up. "What happened?" He stood in the middle of an empty freeway, next to Dakar. ".. Where are the others?" Azar could not recall the last few minutes, he had not been aware during that time. "I can't tell you. I lost sight of them when you tried to teleport us away." Dakar alone had traveled with Azar, and only through sheer coincidence. "She scattered us.. she forced me to teleport and then disrupted the process." They had to have been sent in separate directions, who knew where the rest ended up. This way the Seven could pick them off one by one. Together they could have dueled them, together they at least might have had a chance. "Then what do we do now?" Dakar asked Azar something, he could not begin to answer.

"What do we do? What can we do?" Pandora is.. It is too strong. I was a fool! She got me a second time!" This had gone down just like the last time. Months ago, when he tried to bring balance to the Numbers and to his world, Pandora had used that established network to send herself into every human at a near instantaneous rate. This time she had taken back that network almost as rapidly. "There has to be a way to outsmart her. If anyone can do it.." Dakar tried to find hope. Azar did not see it anymore. "Nobody can do it. It is beyond us, sIt can calculate plans a thousand times faster than us. Every step we make, Pandora will immediately push back." Until there was a way to get on a computers mental speed, there was no way to get ahead of It. "Pandora wanted me to think I was accomplishing something, she wanted me to believe I had freedom. But nothing we do matters."

"I have no plans... I do not know what to do."

(To be Continued in Cipher 27: Against Everyone Else)


	28. (Cipher 193): Against Everyone Else

**(Cipher 193) 27: Against Everyone Else**

"I was unable to prevent their escape. Though their relocation process was scrambled." At the center of the square the Seven had remained. When Azar tried to attack, he and his friends had been scattered across the city by the reflected forces. "They can't be too far away. I can still sense Rita nearby." Claud immediately followed one trail and vanished. The targets with Numbers, like Rita, would be the easiest to track. "Esther, Darcy.. why did the antidote did not work on them?" Though she had similar feelings, Ariel was too uncertain about certain matters to proceed yet. "The corruptive energy inside them has taken too much of a hold. They have been affected for too long." Esther gave her some 'certainties'. "Kapha also suggests that it could be because Azar dueled them directly." Darcy added as she 'relayed' Kapha's words. "You mean we will have to defeat them to heal them." Subito surmised. "This will end today. Azar can not hide anywhere, not anymore." He shook his fist with determination and warped away. "..." Ariel and Ion also headed off to find their own targets. Xander stayed behind to adopt a different task. "I will take you back to base, miss Lawless."

"Thank you." She said to him.. in the open. In her head however, there was a different person to converse with. _"I know you hesitated, Darcy. I don't want you to worry, I am not upset." _Esther was in her throughts, even as Its holographic form stood above her in silence. _"You do not want to see them get hurt. Neither do I. If they come quietly, nothing bad will have to happen..."_

...

After the catastrophic teleport separated them, Rita ended up the closest to the previous location; on the outskirts of the city and next to a small lake in a park. "Rita!" It had taken her time to regain her senses. "Claud!" Enough time for Claud to be right there with her when she opened her eyes again. "Thank goodness I caught up with you! Rita, are you allright? Did you break anything? Do you need a doctor?" Claud tried to approach her. "Ack, no. Claud. Stay there!" She got up and backed away. "But why Rita? I only want to help you." He said with sincerity. That was what pained Rita the most. "Claud, don't you get it? You don't believe what I do, how can we be together like that?!" Knowing the things she did, she did not want to be too harsh with Claud. Except as usual, he found ways to frustrate her. "Do _you_ believe it? Rita, do you think I am not Claud?" That was the question that held the greatest value. "I think you think you are..I.." It was also the one Rita could not figure out. Did she want this Claud to be her Claud? Was Necara right? Was Azar wrong? Was any of this real?

"Ooohh.." She wouldn't dwell on it any longer, as she collapsed to the ground. "Huh? Rita!" Claud gasped. The person responsible for this fall stood behind Rita. "Ariel!" She apparently followed him here. "What did you do?" Claud yelled as he rushed towards Rita. "She's not hurt, Claud. I only took enough of her energy to make her fall asleep." Her more powerful Number 101 could now drain away a humans energy as well. Ariel had not taken much of Rita's stamina, only as much as she needed to. Rita was already pretty exhausted and easy to knock out. "But what for? How can we make her better now?" It was not as if anyone could duel her in this state. "There has to be another less painful way to save her. Maybe she just needs more time. Maybe we can give her 'that card' too." Ariel could still feel Rita's Overhundred Number. She could undergo the same procedure that they did. "Well, I get that. I just wish we didn't need to be so sneaky." Claud was beginning to feel like a villain in all of this. "We are doing the right thing, just remember that. And she is one of us." Ariel stepped back and gave him his space. "..." Claud sighed, and disappeared again. He would take Rita to agency HQ, while Ariel was left with her thoughts.

_"Dakar. You wont make it this that easy, will you?"_

...

The separation gave Necara the worst place to be out of all of them. She was stranded in the middle of a hotel bar, surrounded by patrons and employees. All of which had incentive to apprehend the girl, as they recognized her as a threat on the spot. Granted, most people were no problem for someone like her. She could knock most of them out with a well-timed burst of energy from her Numberless card. But misfortune was not so easily letting go of her, as there just happened to be two duelists among the crowd of unruly barflies. Their decks were out of date, but they defended themselves against her power outburst with their respective Numbers and challenged Necara to a duel anyway. That went all fine and well at first. Necara managed to summon Numberless(2400/1200) in a duel, while she had 12 trap cards in her graveyard. But then a nasty combination of Numbers came into play.

Necara's LP: 8000 Patrons Combined LP: 1000

"Yeah, here we go, girl!" One barfly shouted as he activated his face-down trap card: Pyramid of Light. "When I control this trap here, I can special summon these beauties!" The burly man placed two monsters on his field; the female Sphinx Teleia(10/2500/3000) and the male Andro Sphinx(10/3000/2500). "Xyz-summon!" The Sphinxes were overlayed for his rank 10 Number, a gigantic thick-legged spider(10/0/0). "This here is Ravenous Tarantula. He gets more power the more our lifepoints differ!" Because there was a gap of 7000 lifepoints between the two duelists and Necara, his Tarantula(7000/7000) gained that many attack and defense points. And this effect worked on all his monsters. "You..wanted me to weaken you." The Numberless was not much against this. "Don't forget about its other effect! You can destroy her monster now that it has less attackpoints than our monster!" She shouted to her partner, who gave the woman a firm nod. "Hell yes I can, and I am gonna! We gotta show this hellraiser what happens to Numberthieves!" He got close to detaching a material from his spider.

"No, you cant!" Necara let the Angel of the End banish Mirror Force from her graveyard. "Not possible!" Numberless revealed its reflective wings and caught the Tarantula with it and tossed it away. All monsters on the field were then destroyed as they were both standing in attack position. That included an arachnid shark(4/7000/7000) with long sharp legs; the Number that the woman had summoned in her turn. "Nobody tells us what can and cant be done!" The woman snarled as she snapped her fingers. "My Number can special summon any monster that was destroyed this turn!" Number 37 could not revive itself. But she could special summon his Number 35: Ravenous Tarantula(7000/7000) from his cemetery. They shared the same field and the same lifepoints in this duel. So naturally they also shared the same graveyard. "Direct attack!" Though it had no Xyz-materials anymore, Ravenous Tarantula still had its massive attackpoints. The spider scuttled towards Necara. "No.." Necara had no more traps in her graveyard that could save the Numberless(2200/2500). It was taken by the Tarantula and stabbed in the gut by massive pincers. The poison did the rest of the work. "I set two trap cards down here, and that wraps things up for me."

Necara's LP: 3200

"For you." Necara clenched her fist. "This it not how it ends!" When her turn started, she placed two cards from her hand down and flipped one of other trap cards on her field, Beckoning Shadows. She could discard the remaining card in her hand to add the destroyed Numberless angel back to her hand. "Oh yes it is, kiddo." The woman chained her trap to that trap. "Return! When you add a monster to your hand, it is shuffled into your deck instead!" The Return trap forced the Numberless out of Necara's fingers. "No!" She had barely got to enjoy the touch of it. "..You.." She ended her turn and the female duelist could take his. "Heh. This will be easy as hell." She summoned Exarion Universe, the dark centaur(4/1800/1900) and declared his direct attack.

_Beckoning Shadows, Normal Trap_  
_Activate only during your turn; Discard your entire hand, then for each card you discarded to the Graveyard by this effect, add 1 DARK monster from your graveyard to your hand._

"Not easy. I will not..I can not lose here!" Necara flipped one of her traps, Magic Cylinder. "!" The Cylinder absorbed the 1800 attackpoints from Exarion, negated the attack and channeled it back towards his master. "Girl. You need to know your place. You are all alone here, going all crazy like that! You are only hurting yourself!" The man chained this time, flipping his spell card; Spell of Pain. This quickplay spell would make Necara take all the damage that Magic Cylinder was about to deflect. "My place? I have a place! I..I am not alone!" In turn she activated her last trap; Magic Deflector. "Oh #$*%!." The man and woman swore in unison. Magic Deflector negated the effects of every kind of spell, besides normal spells. At the least, Spell of Pain was cancelled out. That meant they would both have to take the damage from Magic Cylinder. "This is all your..gwaaahh!" The woman cried out along with the man as they were tossed around like ragdolls by the Cylinders blast.

Patrons LP: 0

Necara breathed heavily. She did not understand why. She was tired, she never got tired before now. "!" A noise startled her. More people were pouring into the bar? "Hey, what is all this about?" It was a member of the security staff, a rather big fellow at that. "Did you cause all this, girl?" The man surveyed the damage with an incredulous look. "You're. " But he needed just one glance to tell what kind of problem he was dealing with. "You are coming with me! Peacefully! I do not want to hurt you, but I will if I have to." He took out his stungun. The man seemed unnerved, but not affraid. "Don't come any closer!" Rather, she was getting to feel that emotion. She did not like it, she did not like how her arms quivered and her head was spinning. Why was she scared? She was not alone, she had..

"The end?" Necara had tried to use her Numberless card as she had done before. But the thing did not respond to her. "No..don't..not again!" It was like when the card had left her. It was right there in her hands, yet no power came from it. The Numberless acted like any ordinary piece of cardboard. "I am not..alone!" She shouted, not even to the guard in particular. It could not end here. She did not want this, she did not want to go wherever these people wanted her to be. "Where.." Azar had abandoned her, they all did. They no longer needed her. They saw that The End was losing power before she herself did. That was it! She was all by herself, nobody could find her here! "I am not.."

"I heard you first time, sheesh!" Another woman yelled. "Wh.." The security guard never knew what hit him, but a chair was suddenly broken against the back of his head. The man was knocked out then and there. "You.." Necara's wide eyes stared right at her rescuer; Ruby. "Dont go telling me you forgot my name already." Ruby sighed and ran over to her. "Why..are you here?" The girl in grey asked, as soon as she realized this was truly happening. "Getting you out of here, duh! You caused so much noise, anyone could find you!" Ruby grabbed her by the arm and ran off with her. "Come on. There has to be a way out!" She looked around for exists. Panicking people were in every corner on this hotel floor. This would not be easy. "..." Necaar did not know what to say anymore. What did one usually say in a time like this? _"Thank..you?"_

...

Ion flew through the skies, over the freeway leading out of the city. He had sensed something nearby, but lost the 'scent' of the energy. He cleared the area, thinking his targets had teleported away. "He is gone." However they had been close by, too close. "We should have challenged him." Dakar had hidden their energy signatures with the power of Masquerade. This method of avoiding detection would only last if they never ran into Ariel again. The odds were low on that. "We should have challenged him." Dakar felt the two of them could have taken Ion. "No. If we do that, the others will join him." Azar argued against it. Right now their ability to teleport was weakened by Pandora's attack. They would not be able to flee if they were caught by two or more of them. Certainly not if they were in the middle of a duel. "It would not make any difference anyway. As soon as we cure one of them, Pandora will force them back to her side. Whatever this new Xyz-card is, it has made their Overhundred Numbers completely immune to me, to the Light." Azar was not sure if a duel would even work now. Never mind the fact that they were probably stronger as duelists now.

"There has to be something we can do! We can not keep hiding forever! Didn't you say that we could weaken a catalyst by saying their real name?" Dakar remembered now how they had dealt with Catalysts before. Though he had forgotten one catch to that. "Pandora's real name is not known. It is not Esther, that was the name she was given when she was given that virtual body. Before that..It was just data.. an intelligence." The only way to learn her original designation now was gone. That information was not stored in the databanks around Kapha, he had checked for that. And 'Esthers' first home, the quantum computer, was shut down.

"Then, we need a place where they can not get to us. We need help." Dakar ran through every idea in his head. "What if we went to the infinite world, like you did? Terminus and his 'people do not want this either, do they? You can open the gate because you closed it yourself." If Azar had convinced Terminus to be on his side, the rest; the collective consciousness of the infinite dimension, would certainly lend them their aid as well. "No." Azar shook his head. "They are the same as the Numbers, Pandora can control them too. If I open that gate, I will let It inside. That whole dimension would fall under the Infinite's control. It would not work as a hiding place regardless, you wouldn't be able to survive that world. I only lasted because I had Chaos by my side. Before then only Necara and..."

"...her..." Azar stopped himself. "What is it?" Azar had stumbled upon something, Dakar was sure of it. "Pandora went into that world too. A being that could survive that world, that was the idea behind her conception." This trip of the A.I. was made before It even adopted the identity of Esther. "If its first name is anywhere.. it has to be in there." Azar looked up.. towards the moon. "There may be one other way to safely reach that world."

...

"I do not know where we are." Korose, Shin and his father did not end far from each other but they did end up furthest away from everyone else. They were thrown into an unfamiliar environment. It looked like an old castle on the edge of a forest. "What country are we even in?" Shin did not know of any place that still had things like these, not even for presidents or kings. "It must be a historic building that they maintained and re-purposed as a tourist attraction." It was still night-time, so Grant did not think they would be noticed here. The actual dilemma was how to get back to the others. "Maybe we can call them?" Shin still had his D-pad on him. Nowadays there were few places where the network could not be accessed. Korose coughed. "I would not do that if I were you. Pandora controls the flow of information, she will know where we are as soon as we call for help." The only reason their D-pads were safe right now, was because they were offline. "I however can not say what our next course of action should be..."

"You do not need to decide." The sound of his voice reached them before he himself did. "No way!?" One instant later, Subito appeared in the sky. "Bro!?" So fast, he he had found them so fast. "Your Number was sensed here... father." Subito pointed at his old man. "My, Number?" Grant shuddered involuntarily. He had not realized that they could still track him by his Number card. Azars improved cure had not severed his bond entirely, unlike what it did with Shin and Korose. "I wanted to be the one to bring you back, both of you." Subito came down to the castle walls, stepping on solid rock. "And I will see to it that it is done, I swear this to you, to my family."

"I know you wish to see this through to the end, Subito. I understand your determination.." While Subito walked down the castle steps, Korose met him. "Stay out of this, Korose. My business is with them first." Subito said as he blinked out of sight and re-appeared behind Korose. "!?" He had to have frozen his perception of time and simply walked around the agent, to accomplish that trick. Korose could not stop Subito no matter what. "I know you want to protect them, but you serve the wrong man. Interfere again and I will keep you stuck in time." By now the owner of the 107th had reached the same floor as his father and little brother. "Bro! We don't need to figth each other! I am still me!" Shin did not think he could win this. He did not even want to duel him. "You tried talking to me, and I tried talking to you. It is clear now that Azars hold over you is absolute. I can only save you with my power." Subito activated his crystal D-pad and shuffled his cards. "Face me together or face me one at a time. Those are your only options."

"Then I choose to go alone." Grant said. "_I_ will duel you, Subito."

(To be Continued in Cipher 28: Sons of Mine)

**New Cards used by Necara  
**_Beckoning Shadows_  
Magic Deflector

**Cards used by the Patrons  
**Sphinx Teleia  
Andro Sphinx  
Number 35: Ravenous Tarantula  
Number 37: Spider Spark_  
_Exarion Universe

-  
Spell of Pain

-  
Pyramid of Light  
Return


	29. (Cipher 194): Sons of Mine

**(Cipher 194) 28: Sons of Mine**

"Dad?" Shin felt like he was living in a dream. His father approached his brother in order to accept Subito's demand for a duel. "Agent Korose. Would you lend me your device?" The old man did not have his own D-pad with him, yet he had a set of cards. "I will." Korose tossed his pad over to Mr. Artega. "Hmm, good model." Grant could work with this, even if he hadn't dueled in decades. He had helped build these things after all. "It is you first then." Subito seemed only moderately put off by this. He knew already that his father could duel. "Dad! Wait!" Why don't we do it together?" Shin panicked. He did not think his father would stand much of a chance alone. "Give me some credit, Shin. I have not lost all my touches..and I kept myself updated." Whatever Grants deck was, it included extra deck monsters. "Fact of the matter is.. I will not watch my children fight each other. Not if I can prevent it."

Subito's LP: 8000 Grants LP: 8000

"There is no need to have reservations now, father." Subito accepted this challenge, but he did not lose sight of his younger brother. "I will have to fight Shin, before or after you." He normal summoned a Photon Sabre Tiger(3/1200/400) to the field. Its original attack was reduced by 800 points while it was the only Tiger on the field. Though, because Subito had normal summoned that monster, he could add another Photon Sabre Tiger from his deck to his hand. "I set one trap card. That ends my turn."

"Subito, you look tired. Your single-minded determination is getting the better of you" Artega could tell that Subito was trying to hide his exhaustion. "..." Subito was not fond of lying, and the old man could tell when he was trying to do so. Instead he simply did not comment on his remark."..I have known you since you were born.. I have watched you grow as a man and as a duelist. I also designed the Photon deck that you now use." Grant Artega drew his first card. "I know everything about you and how you duel, which makes me your worst opponent." He started placing cards down in his spell/trap zone. "You will not push me around so easily, son." He stopped at four, he had placed four cards down in his spell/trap zones. Not a single monster was set or summoned. "My turn is over."

"What!? Dad! You know how to use monsters, don't you?" Shin spazzed out even more. Did he just have a bad opening hand? This was not good either way. "He runs a trap deck, perhaps?" Korose was not unfamiliar with a field like this. Grant could have been a trap-deck duelist like Ann. "..." Grant was not answering that, nor did his sons have any idea of what his deck could be. "Yes, father, you know me well. We can not say the same." Subito drew a card. "You have always kept things to yourself, put yourself in your work first. I understood this, I knew sacrifices had to be made for the sake of others." Subito did not sound begrudging. In fact he was talking about his father with a tone of admiration. "We do not know you. That is about to change. Tell me, father, what are you hiding." Subito activated his set spell card; Heavy Storm. "Oh no! It was a bluff!" Shin cried out. The storm would wipe out all spells and traps on the field! "Dad, your cards!" All four of Grants sets were destroyed.

"Heh. Very well, Subito." And this was exactly what Grant had wanted to happen. "I activate the effect of my monster cards!" The victims of the storm came back from the graveyard, as monsters. "They had not been traps or spells, yet they were set as them?" Korose knew few cards that had such a function or summoning method. "My cards are Artifacts. They can be placed face-down in the spell/trap zone. Then when these set cards are destroyed, they can be resummoned!" Three weapon artifacts and their divine wielders were placed in monster zones in defense mode. The first one to resolve was an orange winged staff(5/1600/2400) carried by a male spirit. "Artifact Cadeceus allows me to draw 1 card when an Artifact monsters are summoned!" Grant drew once. The next Artifact to resolve was a broad blue-lightning sword(5/2100/1400) held by a spirit of fury. "This is Artifact Moralltach! When it is summoned during my opponents turn, it destroys one face-up card!" The wielder of Moralltach swung his sword and fired a bolt at the Sabretooth Tiger to electrocute it to death. "Kgh." Subito grunted. This was just the beginning.

Two more Artifacts appeared. One was a golden shield(5/1200/2500) that protected a female goddess. "Artifact Aegis can negate the destruction of my Artifacts for this whole turn, if she is summoned during your turn." The other Artifact was a special case. "I can special summon an Artifact Chakram from my hand, by returning one of my destroyed traps or spells to my hand." The 4th set card had been an ordinary trap, which Grant switched it out in time to summon a monster from his hand. Chakram was a magenta spiked throwing disc(5/1900/2000). "Incredible!" Shin could not believe hiw his dad had turned the duel around. Subito had an empty field, and his father had four monsters!

"...I summon Photon Sabre Tiger." All Subito could do with his turn now, was summon the 2nd tiger(3/1200/400) and let its effect put a 3rd Photon Sabre Tiger in his hand. He then placed two cards in his spell/trap zone and ended his turn. "This deck. How long have you had this?" He was curious now. These cards were legal, but he had never seen anyone use them. "Like Prophecy and Photon, this is something that I designed and submitted to the company. They printed this three years ago, for you. But it was rejected as they did not think it fit as the deck of a champion." Grant quickly moved through his turns phases, only stopping once to switch the Artifacts Cadeceus, Moralltach and Chakram to attack mode. "Subito, do you remember that? Your version of the days in the pro-league may differ now. I will drag out the true version! But first." Grant arrived at the battle phase. "I need to take the lead! Artifact Chakram attacks your Photon monster!" The faceless Chakram spirit hurled his disc towards the Tiger, and ripped it to pieces with the spikes on the edges. "Next, I will declare direct attacks with Cadeceus and Moralltach!" Subito received blows from the staff, sword and shield..

Subito's LP: 3600

Though Subito refused to budge. "Tch. Until my last lifepoint disappears, your words will not 'awaken' anything, father!"

"Not yet it appears. But I know your memories are still there. If _I_ could regain them, so can you.." Grant was not going to give up after one attempt. "I will perform a Xyz-summon now!" Grant took Chakram and Moralltach. "I can use my level 5 monsters for a rank 5 monster, I bring out Artifact Durendal in defense mode!" Grant smashed the lightning sword and throwing disc together to forge a much broader sword(5/2400/2100). Lines of red and blue energy ran through its metal. "I shall also set four cards in my spell/trap zone. My turn is done again."

"Father. You say you know almost everything about my dueling style, but you did not create every card in my deck." Subito's tone changed, becoming heavier than ever. "You helped me as far as you could but you did not give me_ this_ power! I draw The Seventh One!" The red rays of chaos burst out of his D-pad, and Subito took that power into his own hand. "Dad, he has drawn his Rank-Up spell!" Shin shouted as a warning. Everyone could see it, because the Seventh One had to be shown to the opponent until the main phase began. "Azar told me about this card. Nothing to worry about, Shin. Subito.." Grant detached one material from Artifact Durendal. "..I prepared for this too!" Just as Subito left his standby phase and could activate his spell, it was stolen from him. "What!?" All the other cards in his hand were also shuffled away. "Durendal can make us both shuffle our hands into our deck and draw new cards, Subito!" Grant had no cards to shuffle back, but Subito had to return everything and draw six new cards. Subito was speechless.

"You have impressed me, father." He quickly regained his composure. "It will sadly not be enough." In his hand he now had his prized card; Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. Yet he chose to discard it. "I do not need to say what my cards can do, do I? I summon Galaxy Soldier." A silver brawler(5/2000/0) with golden spike knuckles jumped on top of one castle tower. It needed to send a light monster like Galaxy-Eyes from the hand to the graveyard to special summon itself in defense mode. Galaxy Soldier had an additional power. It added a Galaxy-monster to a players hand when it was special summoned. "Now, Galaxy Knight." Galaxy Knight was what Subito had chosen to take from his deck. That stellar armored swordsman(8/2800/2600) could be normal summoned without tributes when its user controlled one Galaxy monster already. "And my dragon.. come!" Furthermore, by giving away 1000 of its attackpoints, the Knight(1800/2600) could special summon the discarded Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) to the field in defense position. "Finally, the Guardian of Order!" Because Subito controlled multiple light-attribute monsters, the brilliant celestial warrior(8/2500/1200) of order and peace. Four monsters rested on four towers.

_"He has enough monsters to summon his Xyz dragons now. But which one will he choose."_ Korose wondered which three-headed dragon Subito favored now; Tachyon or Neo Photon.

Korose would not find out yet, as the duel entered a brief interlude. "We made it!" Dakar and Azar shoiwed up from the aether. "Guys? Guys!" Shin cheered excitedly. "You two?" Subito grunted in frustration. "Shin, Korose, Grant.. I am glad to see you three. I would have made it here sooner, but I needed time to re-energize. I only found you this quickly, because Dakar could sense where the Number 107 was." If Subito had stopped moving, then he must have located someone. That was what Azar theorized, and he was proven right. "But.." He had not arrived in time to stop the fight. "Azar. What can you do now? Your cure will not work anymore!" Subito was focused on Azar and only Azar. He would quit his duel right now if he could. "Subito. I can not tell you that." Azars reply aggravated him even more. On the other side it thrilled Shin. "You mean you have a plan?!" Azar had that look on his face again. "I hope that is the case." Korose noticed Azars good spirits as well.

"Another plan? Why will you never give up!? You can not.."

"Subito. Keep your eyes on your opponent!" Grant disrupted Subito's rant. If Azar wanted to do something, he could not let his own son block his path. "I am far from finished! I can see what you intend to do!" Mr. Artega flipped a quickplay spell card. "Artifact Ignition! I destroy one of my set spells or traps to set one Artifact directly from my deck!" Grant ignited the card set on his left, and blew it up. "The destroyed card was Artifact Scythe! Its summoning effect is the same as other Artifacts!" Grant placed one Artifact down in the zone where the Scythe had once laid. The black Scythe(5/2200/900) itself was summoned in attack position. Grant also drew a new card thanks to Artifact Cadeceus' effect. "If a Scythe is special summoned during my your turn, you can not summon monsters from your extra deck this turn!" A black curse was cast on top of Subito's extra deck. "I can not?" Subito's Numbers and other Xyz monsters were sealed as of right now.

"Azar. Whatever it is that you are preparing for, you will have to do it without me. You can not wait for this duel to finish." Grant said, taking the words right out of Azars mouth. "I know, sir. Artega." Only Shin and Korose could be taken with him. He was thankful that Grant had requested to stay behind himself. "But dad!" Of course Shin had other ideas about where he needed to be. "No, Shin. You can do no good here. Even if I can beat Subito, more will come. You need to go with Azar and Dakar, go where they can not find you." He started to smile. "Shin. I am proud of you, and I love you. That will never change, no matter what changes are made to my memories. I.." He swallowed his own words. He did not want to say more. "Azar, take care of Shin. I will take care of my other son."

"Yes sir." Azar nodded. "Shin, we have to go." He placed his hand on Shins shoulder, while Korose went with Dakar. "Dad, I.. I will see you again!" Shin shouted. That was all he thought to say, before he was whisked away.

"..You were right, father." Subito almost seemed sad to see them go. Though his anger was still the dominant force. "I get my sense of duty from you." Subito clenched his fist and moved into his battle phase. He could not summon his strongest Xyz-monsters, but he could lay waste to some of Artega's Artifacts. "I attack Cadeceus and Durendal!" His monsters could not penetrate the defenses of Aegis and Durendal and overpower the Scythe or Cadeceus at the same time. Subito made his choice and took out what he felt were the two biggest threats this duel. Galaxy Knight cut the Cadeceus staff into two halves, while Guardian of Order blasted Durendal to molten slag. "This goes without saying. But with you I want to be clear.. you can not keep me from summoning my Number, father. I am one of the Seven." Subito also activated a continuous trap card: XYZ-Kingdom. It took any destroyed Xyz-monsters Xyz materials and added it to the trap. Durendals last attached material was Artifact Aegis, and it was absorbed by the trap.

_XYZ Kingdom, Continuous Trap  
__When a card with a Xyz Material(s) is destroyed, attach any Xyz Material(s) it had attached to it upon destruction to this card.  
__During either players turn, you can destroy this card. If this card would be destroyed, attach all cards attached to this card, to 1 Xyz monster on the field._

Grants LP: 7800

"I heard. You can draw that spell whenever you wish. I would not be surprised if you already shuffled the card back to the top of your deck after you used the effect of Galaxy Soldier." His son did not comment on that either. Not that he needed to. "...I attack." Scythe's dark spirit grabbed the artifact and swung it down upon the Galaxy Knight. "Father. If you wanted to see if I would still use the cards you created. Then I will do so now. You could and might have seen this coming." To which Subito responded with an effect from his hand. "Galaxy Tyranno!" Because his Galaxy monster had been targeted for an attack, he could summon the galactic tyrannosaur(8/2000/0) from his hand. "Xyz-summon!" Galaxy Tyranno could then immediately use other Galaxy monsters as Xyz-materials to bring out a Galaxy Xyz-monster. "Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon!" He took Galaxy Tyranno, Galaxy Knight and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, overlaying them to form the ultimate photonic beast, the three-headed Neo-Galaxy Eyes(8/4500/3000).

"Neo-Galaxy-Eyes." There it was, the last photon card Grant had ever designed. "...I redirect my attack to Galaxy Soldier!" The Neo-dragon was twice as strong as Artifact Scythe. He had to settle on destroying Subito's Galaxy Soldier instead. "Because I summoned my dragon with the original Galaxy-Eyes as the material, your face-up cards effects are now negated. But then you already know this." It made little difference, neither Scythe nor Artifact Aegis had any useful powers to left to negate. "Why did you ask me to summon this father? I complied, but only because it grants a tactical advantage. If you are attempting to reach me through sentiment.." He asked and his father shook his head. "No, son. Not for sentiment, for grief." He placed a card down in his spell/trap zone and ended his turn. "There are some feelings not even Pandora can erase. Your subconscious remembers the pain, even if your mind has forgotten the context."

"Context. What context do you speak of?" Subito demanded the answer once more. Grant would give it. "Neo-Galaxy Eyes, the first time you used it, you believed it caused an accident that injured others.. do you remember? Do you still know why you quit the league?" Grant had been told how Dakar got through to Rita in Neo Avalon. He hoped he could do the same with his son here. "I know that incident was not my fault now, father. You will not make me secondguess myself or my stance by trying to point out past traumas.." Subito placed his hand on his deck. It glowed just like it had done in the last draw phase. "Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" Subito drew the card and revealed it to his opponent. "Father, the past only made me stronger!"

...

Once Azar had found a safe enough distance and location to warp too, an island in the middle of the ocean, he stopped moving. "So what's the plan?" Once there Shin of course wanted to know everything that Azar had figured out. "I can tell you." Azar still needed to locate Necara, Rita and Ruby. Dakar could bring them up to speed in that time. "The only one who can help us now is the one who rules the Numbers world. But Azar can not go back there without bringing Pandora with him. That is why he needs to go through the portal in another way. In another dimension."

"You speak of.. the catalyst world?" As far as Korose was aware of, there were only two dimensions beyond their own. The Number world, and the world in between. The catalyst world was the shadow of the human planet that only existed in the light of the red moon. It was where Ion had died. "Yes." Azar confirmed Korose's suspicions. "We need to return there. That is where we will learn Its true name. That is how we will weaken Pandora until It is on our level."

(To be Continued in Cipher 29: History, as Written by the Victorious)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Galaxy Soldier

_-  
XYZ Kingdom_

**Cards used by Grant Artega  
**Artifact Aegis  
Artifact Moralltach  
Artifact Cadeceus  
Artifact Chakram  
Artifact Durendal  
Artifact Scythe

-  
Artifact Ignition


	30. (Cipher 195): History, As Written

**(Cipher 195) 29: History, as written by the Victorious**

It only took them an hour, but Ruby and Necara at the hotel were finally found by Azar. "Gyah!" He and the others dropped out of warp right into the suite room they had been holed up in. "Egh. Never gonna get used to that." Despite her racing heart, Ruby was glad to see them. "You came for us." Necara had no visual reaction. Though she was equally surprised. "Of course we did, N..." Azar started to say when he noticed the pounding on the door. "Angry customers?" Shin saw all the beds and closets thrown in front of the door. It was not a barricade that would last them long. "Yeah we ticked the staff off a little." Ruby shrugged. It was not her fault those guys had it in for them. "I am glad to see you are unharmed, Ruby.. Ann." Korose stated. He had hated their time of separation just as much as the rest. "I am not.." Only Necara was uncertain. She could not tell if she was happy to see them, if she was annoyed, affraid or anything. "Can we leave?"

"Soon. Dakar, do you have a fix on Rita yet?" There was only one more person Azar wanted to bring along. "I fear Claud and Ariel got to her. She is back at agency HQ now." Dakar could sense her presence there, along with Clauds. "We cannot go there. Though this may not be the end for her.." Azar did not know if Rita was already repossessed or not. He could not risk finding out. "Wait? Where are we going then? And what about your dad, Shin? Did he not make it?" Ruby still had plenty of questions. "He chose to stay behind, so he could duel Subito. I am not counting him out! He may get my bro!" Shin would never give up on him.. or Subito. But for now they couldn't help either. "As for where we are going, Ruby. We are headed for the weakest point between our dimensions. I will explain when we get there.."

...

Subito's LP: 3600 Grants LP: 7800

Subito drew the Seventh One, Grant only had until the main phase to stop his son. And so he did, with face-down spell. "Quickplay spell card: Artifacts Unleashed! I Xyz-summon a monster with two of my Artifacts!" Grant took Artifact Scythe(5/2200/900) and Artifact Aegis(5/1200/2500) and overlayed them to Xyz-summon his second Artifact Durendal(5/2400/2100). "That card only delays the inevitable!" Subito insisted. "Yes I know." Grant held back on actually using his monsters effect of shuffling hands back into the deck. "..." So Subito moved on. "I activate The Seventh One! I special summon Chaosnumber 107: Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" The spell targeted Number 107 in his extra deck, ranking it up. "What I will do, is this!" Now Grant detached a material from Durendal. "Durendal has a second ability, it can rewrite any effect that activated! Seventh One's effect will now destroy one of my cards instead!" The blade of Durendal pierced Subito's Rank-Up Magic, nullifying the Xyz-summon of Number C107.

Except then it didn't. "What?" Light came from the center of Subito's field, from a flipped trap and from Neo-Photon Dragon(8/4500/3000). "It's this; the counter trap Tachyon Transmigration. When I control a Galaxy-Eyes Xyz monster, it negates all your effects that activated this chain." Time was rewound, Durendal moved back out the Seventh One card, and the spells cut was repaired. Now the Rank-Up spell resolved normally and summoned Neo-Tachyon Dragon(9/4500/3000) by placing it on top of the regular Number 107. "The counter trap also returns the source of that effect to the players deck." Artifact Durendal had been pushed back so far in the past, that it did not even exist on the field anymore. Grant had no more defenses.

"Hrm! I activate the trap card: Artifact Sanctum!" Grant would need to use his traps quickly, before Number C107 could use its effect negating power. "Artifact Sanctum special summons 1 Artifact from my deck. I choose Artifact Beagalltach." Another broadsword(5/1400/2100) with red leylines was called up in defense mode. "Beagalltach can destroy up to two set cards that I control!" The sword of fire burned down the last two cards in Grants spell/trap zones. Both were Artifacts. "Now that they are destroyed, I can summon Artifact Failnaught and Achilleshield!" The Artifacts formed a green spirit energy bow(5/2000/1600) and a hellish shield(5/1500/2200) of purple energy. "Failnaughts sets an Artifact back to my spell/trap zone, when it is summoned!" Grant placed the Artifact Moralltach from his graveyard back down behind Failnaught. "And AchillesShield negates all attacks against Artifacts during the turn it is summoned! This lingering effect can not be negated by your dragon!" Grant had one more card to play, from his hand. "When an Artifact is destroyed and sent to my graveyard, I may special summon Artifact Labrys from my hand!" The destruction of Failnaught and Achilleshield brought forth the double-headed axe(5/2300/1700) and its pink-spirit wielder. "I will defend myself with these!"

"You have gotten one more turn for yourself." Subito ended his turn. "Yet what can you do?" His father now faced both Neo-dragons; the one he had created and the one Subito had made himself. "It is true, that none of my Artifacts can defeat your monsters, Subito." Grant had no way of triggering his set Artifact Moralltach right now. Durendal would not be very useful either. "Then you have but one choice.. summon your Number." Subito pointed at his opponents extra deck. "I know you still hold it! It alone can match the power of my Number!" Grant had the Number 76. It was a rank5 monster called the Bolt of Zeus. It could either protect any players set cards from card effects or destroy them. Bolt of Zeus could destroy the set Moralltach, summoning it and letting it destroy Number C107.

"No." Instead Grant ended his turn and kept his monsters in defense mode. "No!?" Subito was not sure he heard that right. "If I summon my Number, I will just become who I was before Azar saved me. It will be the same as losing the duel." Before, when Grant had told Azar that he did not hear Pandora's voice.. he had lied. He did hear It, though the voice sounded more like an echo of his own. He could ignore that voice, he could not do that if he gave in now. "Azar. It is always about him. Do you believe him..over me?" Subito growled. He activated a spell card, Galactic Charity. Because he controlled a Galaxy-Xyz monster he could discard one card and draw two new cards. "I will bring you back with my power! You will be left with nothing!" Subito summoned a Photon Pirate(3/1000/1000) from his hand. By banishing Photon monsters from Subito's graveyard, it could raise its attack to 3000.

"Wait." The Pirate was about to stab the graveyard. This was something Grant could not allow, he wanted at least 1 Artifact to stay alive. "I tribute Artifact Lancea from my hand! By doing so, I can stop me and you from banishing cards this turn!" Photon Pirate's saber hit the metal of Lancea instead of the ground. Both saber and spear shattered. "Pointless." Subito muttered and started the battle phase. Both Neo-Galaxy Eyes dragons attacked and destroyed the Artifacts AchillesShield and Labrys. Then Guardian of Order(8/2500/1200) blasted Artifact Beagalltach into a pile of liquid metal.

"Hey, Subito! Nice place for a duel!"

"Ion?" Subito looked upwards. Ion appeared in the skies. "You are too late, Ion. Azar came and went. He took Korose and Shin with him." Subito, correctly, guessed that Ion had been pursuing Azar and Dakar. "Tch. Well that's just my luck. At least you managed to find one of them." Ion floated down towards the castle. "Good morning, sir Artega. You would not happen to remember where your son went?" He asked politely. But Grant was not answering. "He knows as much as I do. You are wasting your time here." Subito said, glaring at Ion. "I'll be the judge of that. Can't do much about a trail that's gone cold. Besides, if you lose to your old man, I will need to pick up the pieces." Ion smirked as he leaned against the side of the walls. He did not mind waiting, he had never gotten to see the inside of a castle before anyway. "Lose? Me!? Your lack of confidence is not appreciated." Subito could not imagine losing now. Not unless Grant would summon his Number. "I end my turn!"

"Subito." Grant drew his card. "It is not that I trust Azar over you. Or that I favor one son over the other. I have always loved you and Shin equally. But sometimes I feel.. I treated you wrongly. I put to much pressure on you and did not give you enough freedom." The drawn card was just what he needed. "I summon Trust Guardian!" A tiny cherub angel(3/0/800) with a large red helmet fluttered around the field. "Trust?" Subito was taken aback. That thing did not seem to mesh at all with Grants other cards. "I had a deck before I gained the Artifacts. Few cards from that time remained.. but these two still do." Mr. Artega removed Trust Guardian and Artifact Failnaught from his field. This was not an overlaying process. "That's right. I said two.. Trust Guardian is a tuner monster!" The angels three stars were tuned to the crossbow Artifacts five stars. "And this is a synchro monster; Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!" A satanic dragon(8/3000/2500) with scales as red as burning lava was synchro summoned from those eight stars.

"Hot Red? Why on earth do you have a card like that?" Ion was sure there was a good story behind that. Subito was likewise stunned. "Because.. it reminds me of my past. It reminds me of the time we almost lost the planet. I wonder if you still know.. about the collision crisis." Grant glared at the two. Their expressions said it all. "You do not. Then again, my memory is vague too. A lot was lost.. but I will never forget that one thing. It might have been a dream, it still felt real to me. I saw a young duelist once, save the entire world with a dragon just like this one. This card is an homage, it is the closest I could get to recreating it..." Grant slammed his hands. "Hot Red Archfiend Dragon destroys all other attack-position monsters on the field!" The demon dragon cut loose with a roar so fierce it made the floor underneath Subito's monsters burst open. "All of them?" Photon Pirate, Guardian of Order, Neo-Photon Dragon and Chaosnumber 107 were all dragged into the fiery pits of the dragons inferno. "Only my Archfiend Dragon can attack during the turn this effect is used! Son, this one is for you!" Grants monster breathed in deeply and let out a stream of hellfire, covering the entire left section of the castle. "Hraaaaaghhh!"

Subito's LP: 600

"This is not..this is not how it ends!" Subito shouted, and forced the flames aside with a surge of his own power! "Subito?" Grant saw his son, his face twisted by anger. "You raised me to be perfect, taught me to never waver! I will not lose, not even to you!" He was no longer hiding his pain. Veins were throbbing all over his skin. "XYZ Kingdom!" Because his Xyz-monsters had been destroyed, their four materials could be attached to his continuous trap. "My turn!" Subito did not wait for his father to end his turn. Grant had no cards in his hand anymore. "Monster Reborn!" He first used a spell to resummon Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon to his field. "When I summon a Rank 8 monster, I can add Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force to my hand from my graveyard!" The rank-up spell was the card he had discarded with Galactic Charity. This card could rank up any level 5 or higher monster into a Chaos Xyz or Chaosnumber monster. "I activate Argent Chaos Force! The Photon dragon becomes the dragon of Tachyon!" Subito could even rank up his own fathers dragon into Chaosnumber 107(9/4500/3000). "Another?" Grant could not belive Subito had created more than one Chaos form of his Number. "The past will never change, father! You need to look to the future. That is what I am protecting!"

"Subito? You're not thinking of..." Ion realized what Subito was planning. "I am. I destroy Xyz-Kingdom!" The XYZ-trap card could destroy itself. Upon its destruction, it would attach all of its attached cards (Artifact Aegis, Galaxy Tyranno, Galaxy Knight, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon) as materials to another Xyz-monster; the Tachyon Xyz dragon instead. This is the power Pandora granted us!" Subito took a card from his extra deck. "By using one of the Chaosnumbers 101 through 107, and its attached cards as the materials; you can Xyz-summon the Chaos Xyz monster: Pandorian Hope!" Subito's Chaosnumber 107 vanished into a crimson jar. The jar shook and exploded, releasing a gigantic warrior(7/7000/0) in chaotic red plate armor. In one hand it wielded a golden two-pronged spear. In the other it held a shield shaped like a Chaos Xyz-monsters xyz materials. "Pandorian Hope?" This was it. Grant stared at the monster that had made his son immune to Azars light. The card that made every Overhundred Number more powerful. "Pandorian Hope gains 1000 attackpoints for each of its materials." Six monsters and one trap were captured within the CXyz's shield crystal.

"And..it may copy the effect of any Number in the graveyard.." The pieces of Subito's complicated strategy fell together. This was why he needed a second Chaosnumber 107. Neo-Tachyon Dragon was the Number that Pandorian Hope targeted for its effect. "Now it can use both effects of Chaosnumber 107. I only require one.. By sacrificing two monsters, my ultimate monster may attack your monsters three times." Subito played the last spell card in his hand. "Message in a Bottle! I revive three monsters with different levels!" The Message spell card summoned Galaxy Soldier(5/0/0), Photon Pirate(3/0/1000) and Guardian of Order(8/0/1200) from the graveyard. Their effects were negated and their attackpoints taken away. "Go!" The Soldier and Pirate were chosen as the sacrifices. Pandorian Hope converted them to pure energy and absorbed them into his own body. "The first attack!" The Chaotic red warrior hurled his spear towards the Hell red dragon. "Gah!" Grants dragon was run through.. but not killed.

Grants LP: 3800

_"That tuner monster, it became his downfall."_ Ion checked the data on Trust Guardian on his D-pad. The monster that was synchro summoned with it as the tuner, could not be destroyed in battle once a turn. Instead the synchro summoned Archfiend dragon(2600/2500) would lose 400 attackpoints._ "But Darcy told us to only use ths CXyz card as a last resort."_ Ion did not like that Subito had pushed himself this fa. Even if he could not have won otherwise. "This is where it ends. The enemy is Pandora herself, yet you do not see this even with its name spelled out." Grant moaned. If his dragon had died, Pandorian Hope would not have had anything to use a second attack on. "No, father. This is just the beginning. A great future awaits us all. You can be a part of it again, I forgive you." Subito closed his eyes. "The only one I can not forgive is.. Him." Pandorian Hope pulled back his spear and charged Hot Red Dragon to finish him off directly. "I forgive you too, Subito." Grant closed his own eyes as well, and received the final blow. The next thing he would hear.. was Pandora's soothing voice.

...

"He is gone." Like billions before him, Grant could no longer be sensed. "I am sorry Shin. He did not win." Azar shook his head. Pandora had reclaimed him. "...Ha. Bro is too good." Shin let out a weary laugh. Who had he been kidding? He never thought his father would make it out, even if he could beat Subito. "We will get him back, Shin." Azar was almost ready..

The six remaining duelists were at the ruins of the agency's first headquarters, the one that had been blown up by Kincaid. Only a few sections were still intact. "So how is this going to work?" Ruby had a ton of questions about this trip they were supposed to make. "Better yet, _where _are we going? I mean I know what you said, but.. I dont know what you said." The concept of the other world was all too murky and undefined to her. She had not gone there like Azar had done. "It;s like this; when our world first came into contact with the Numbers dimension, the planet was damaged. The team of scientists that Kapha used to work with, managed to undo the damage. But scars in the fabric of space and time remained. See it as an overlay network. The earth was so wounded, it split in two worlds. Both worlds were overlayed to form one, but two moons remained in the aftermath. One we can always see, the other we can not. In the shadow of that moons light, the 'catalyst world' exists. That is where the first nine Numbers lived before they began their invasion."

"Then how do you want to enter it? There are no Numbers there anymore. That world might not even exist."

"It does, Ruby. I do not just feel this.. I know it." It could have been some innate knowledge he inherited from Terminus or a simple gut feeling; either way Azar was certain of this one fact. "This was the nexus, here the dimensional barriers were at their weakest." The agency had built this facility here to monitor the activity of these weaknesses. "I will use my power.. not to break the barrier, but to weaken it enough so that I can take us to the in-between world." Far above them was the moon, and the location of the Numeron gate. Azar had closed it. He could also open it. "But we will not be going as ourselves, will we?" Dakar started to think back to the first time he had been to the catalysts world. He had not done so willingly. "No. We will be going with our minds, not our bodies... Dakar, you do not have to go." Azar knew very well that Dakar would be apprehensive about this. The man had been trapped on that other side for months. "Someone needs to stay behind and shield our bodies. If I trust anyone with this task, it is you." Only Dakar could hide them well enough, if others came along. "Thank you. I will not let you down." Dakar nodded.

"So when do we go?" Necara asked. "Right now." His answer came quicker than anyone expected. Azar had found his focus, and built up enough energy for the jump. "Wait, I did not mea.."

In a heartbeat, their minds were gone..

(To be Continued in Cipher 30: Reprised)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**_CXyz Pandorian Hope (+)_

-  
Tachyon Transmigration

_(+ CXyz Barian Hope renamed for story purposes)_

**Cards used by Grant Artega  
**Artifact Beagalltach  
Artifact Failnaught  
Artifact Achilleshield  
Artifact Labrys  
Artifact Lancea  
Trust Guardian  
Hot Red Dragon Archfiend

-  
Artifacts Unleashed

-  
Artifacts Sanctum


	31. (Cipher 196): Reprised

**(Cipher 196) 30: ****Reprised**

This was not the earth they grew up in. This was not the sky they took for granted in their every day life. A thin crescent moon shone far above the clouds, but its red light pierced through everything and saturated all with a bloody hue. It was harsh and stressing, it was a world no man or woman was supposed to live. "This is it." This was the world of the catalysts and the shadow of Earth. Azar succeeded in transporting them all here. This world had changed. Time had worn it down. The first time the horizon stretched as far as the eye could see, now the existing landscape was limited to the mountain range and a small town in the distance. Beyond that lied a crimson void.

"There is nothing here." Necara groaned. This place was hurting her head. "I can see that. Wait..what is with you?" Ruby noticed Necara looked even paler than usual, and completely colorless. "Ruby, your hair." Shin noticed some odd things about Ruby as well. "What is with my. ah?" She drew her hand through her hair, noticing that it was utterly black now. "Uh. I guess I dont have my hair dye on in this place? That makes sense right?" She did not know if she needed to be worried or not. "We are here as sort of astral projection, we see each other as we have seen ourselves for most of our lives." Azar, Shin and Korose looked relatively the same. Though they were already used to this strange environment. Necara had once tried to bring this world to the physical side, but that was different. That time they were physically present. "This place has become smaller.. most of it must have been used up when the catalysts created the Numeron portal..." Azar sensed a power beyond the emptyness, isolated entirely. "That way. I'll take us there." Now that he had fix on it, he could warp there. "Wait a second. How do we know if.."

"There is even something solid..there?" Ruby's bisected cry of concern had not been needed. "Hey?" Azar had already teleported them and the others to the source of the energy, and there was more solid ground beneath them. Not that a lack of ground would have been cause for concern. This was a place where gravity could be ignored, and oxygen was not needed. They were not 'living' here. . "Wha..what are you guys doing in my dream?" And they were not alone.

"Rita!?" Shin was the first to see her, the owner of the third Overhundred Number. "Yeah. Thats me.." She replied groggily as she got up from the bed she had been lying on when Shin found her. "Uh, Rita. This is not a dream." Shin could not resist a little chuckle, but quickly closed his mouth. "Of course it is. I mean, this place makes no sense and..." Rita touched the top of her head to pull her hair. "Ow!" The pain was real. "See?" Shin said. Pain tended to be evidence of being wide awake. "No. That's impossible. This can not be really happening. I mean.." She looked up at Azar. "Where did you bring me? How?" He had something to do with this

"I know this place." Korose recognized the walls and doors around them, he had worked here for months on end. "I believe this is the other side of the new agency's headquarters, the first floor to be exact." The building already existed before earth was dimensionally copied. Outside the windows was the same void, it could not be a coincidence that this place stayed intact. "I was expecting something like this to happen. Rita, this is the other world." Azar quickly explained what he had done before moving on to the reason why she was here. "You were still part of the light, of my power. When I brought us all here, I managed to pull you in as well. The power I sensed was your Number." This dimension had not just been the home of the first nine Numbers. This had also been where the Overhundred Numbers hid before they were released upon earth. If anyone could survive here, it would be one of their partners. "Then where am I in actuality?" Rita started to figure out that she was not here with her body. For one thing, the pink hair on her head would be a wig if she were. "It is likely that you are sleeping on this bed in the normal world. Claud must have brought you there. I can not do much for you there..."

"What I can and must do is open the portal." Azar closed his eyes and searched for the place where the portal in this world would have been. He was the one who closed it, he alone could still feel its presence. "Well?" Except nothing happened for a while, Azar searched so long Ruby had to pry him. "There is nothing." Necara had already drawn her conclusions. "That is not possible. I was certain.." Azar did not understand why he could not find the portal at all. It was a gateway between all dimensions, it had to exist here too. Yet the only power he had felt were the powers of any Numbers they had brought with them. The rest was all ruins.

_"Could someone have been in here, could someone have affected the portal here first?!"_

"Rita. Use your Numbers power. Expose what is not shown to us." Her Number could be the solution to this mystery, to why he could sense things that were not there. "Really, Azar? You think that will work? Are you sure you're not just wrong about all of this?" Rita had not have any faith in his plan. Not after his last one had backfired so spectacularly. "I refuse to believe that. I can not give up hope. So please..." Azar did not know if he was wrong. He did not want to be wrong; for the sake of everyone he knw. "Okay. But I don't see how.." Rita had Number 103 with her, it had been dragged down here along with her. She took Ragnazero out and summoned her power to dispel all illusions and other magical constructs like it. "Ngh. Gah, there is a lot." The zero-wave had to travel far, had to span an entire globe's worth of nothingness. There was no obstruction for what seemed like an eternity. "Do not stop!" Every part of this dimension had to be razed. "Grah!" Rita pushed her Number to its limits, which in turn taxed her own..

"Rahhh!" She froze. "What was..that?" Number 103 had hit something, and sent the shockwaves back to her mind. "Where is it?" This was it. "Far, far away.." Rita dismissed Ragnazero and plopped down to the floor. She felt so tired she just wanted to go to sleep a second time. "Azar, do you.." Shin hoped she had done enough. "I do." There was definitely substance out there, when there had not been before. And..they were moving. "They are alive." Whatever they were, they were coming for them. "The walls!" As they were getting closer, the basement began to rumble and the walls started to melt away. "I think you pissed them off, whatever they are!" Ruby yelled as more and more of the building around them disappeared. "Are they the enemy? Do we destroy them?!" Necara readied her cards. "Not yet. Wait." Azar on the other hand wanted to wait this out. These entities were nothing like what he had encountered before. They did not feel hostile. Rather they were curious. "..!" Within minutes all matter was gone. They were alone in the void. That was when 'he' came.

"My god." To Korose's utter horror, the first being to arrive resembled a figure infamous to all. A satanic figure wrapped in a black cloak. His face was obscured by a mask with nine holes. hat was the mask of a catalyst, of the Ninth host. "It's that guy! I thought we beat him?!" Shin had last seen him dying. "...and you killed him.. Prometheus." Necara cursed out the name that belonged to that figure. "..That was the name, yes." The Ninth spoke. His voice was distorted, torn apart by echoes. "Why are you alive?" Necara demanded answers. "I am not." He was happy to hand them out, albeit in a confusing manner. "What?"

"We..are not what we once were. We are Echoes." The Ninth continued as other 'Echoes' made themselves visible to the naked eye. They were vaguely defined like shadows and lacked all color but grey and black. "Just like how this world only exists in the shadow of another, we exist in the shadow of other lives. We have been hiding here since the creation of this world; unseen and unable to leave or act." A hand came out from under the cloak, its finger pointing at Azar. "You, the bringer of balance.. You search for the portal, do you not? It is as Pandora foretold." His words went beyond Azars worst fears. "Foretold?!" Pandora had even seen this plan coming? "Pandora could not return to this plane of existence once you closed the gateway. However It did not fear the possibility of your return here, for this world would decay on its own without a Numbers power to feed it. In their absence, we thrive.. We and the Numbers are incompatible."

"Is this all related to why some people could resist the Numbers, like me?" Rita asked. She had been an agent, and all agents used to be immune to Numbers. Kincaid said that this was because of'past lives' "It is. Those who were separated from the first world, were freed from the infectious Number world. You and the other agent lived here as well under a different name. You had to forget, when your mind returned to a body of a younger age. Time moved faster here, one day was worth one year. But you are no longer 'pure'." The utterance of that word went paired with a planet-wide pulse of sound; a single heartbeat. "Wh-what was that?" Shin gasped for air. It was the life had been sucked out of him. "You came here for an advantage. This world holds more secrets than you can imagine..." The other Echoes levitated down towards them, surrounding them. "They are Shards from another story, memories that were left behind when their owners returned to your world. They can never return, but they remember the war that was fought here."

"You will have to prove yourselves as a greater power than the Numbers that came before and can come after."

"I must ask if there is another way. We have no quarrel with you, we only seek the portal." Korose tried to reason with 'Prometheus'. "There is no other way. It is not up to me. I am merely their voice, not truly a part of the story.. The Echoes see you as the weaker power right now, they have no desire to give up control of this world to you, when stronger even more corrupt Numbers may follow you here." Prometheus raised six fingers now. "Pandora and the Overhundred Numbers that serve It; these are your enemies are they not?" Azar and Necara nodded. That was enough confirmation for The Ninth. "Let me to make this offer. There are six of them, and six of you. Face the Echoes in a separated trial. Choose an opponent but choose well. These trials shall not be normal duels. The echoes will impose restrictions suited to your desires. Only when six of you have conquered a 'shadow', may you proceed and create a portal." It seemed like the Echoes were already settling for this deal, if Prometheus could say this for them.

"So be it." Azar had heard more than enough. "I will take the challenge." If it had to be done, it had to be done. "Everyone else should do the same." They would be done quicker if they all faced their opponents simultaneously. "Right then!" Ruby walked up to the shadows. "I don't like the look of what I can see on your face, I will take you!" Her choice was a young female in uniform, with a cocky grin plastered on her face. "You choose your own enemy." She snapped her fingers, and the two vanished. "Wha..where did they go?" Where could they even go, was really the question that was on Rita's mind. "To their own battlefield. Each of them is linked to a facet of the forgotten story" The Ninth said. "They are not far from here, but they can not be reached until their duel is concluded. They may attempt the trial as many times as possible, and they switch out cards. But the core of their deck must remain the same, it is that deck that the Echoes will remember as what defeated them. I cannot guarantee that the trial limit will not change either."

"Oh. You could have told us that before." Rita hissed and went with an opponent of her own; a boy with a cap on his head. "You seem dumb enough. Let's go." The boy nodded and whisked them to their arena. "I have chosen." Korose went with an older shadow. That one had the appearance and stance of a slacker, but Korose saw a glimmer of honor in his eyes. "You're the boss." This echo chuckled. They were gone too. "Hmm. I am surprised nobody chose you. Guess they don't want to pick on you." Shin walked up to the smallest of the echoes, a little girl in an elaborate dress. "Don't worry. I will go easy on you." Whether she was going to be an easy opponent or not, he could not tell. But that did not mean he could not be gentle. "You don't need to. She will be nice too." The girl replied. "Huh? Who is she?" Shin was heard asking, before he was snatched away.

"..." Necara and Azar were the last two. The former did not know which opponent to pick. There were more than two shadows left. "Necara. If you do not want to. You do not have to. Dakar can take your place." Azars eyes had already set on one man whose face was covered by a different type of mask; a ranges mask. But he had not failed to notice Necara had lost a lot of her selfconfidence. "I will leave it to you. But I believe you can do it." He said to her. And then he too was relocated.

"I.." Necara thought she did not need to say anything. Yet seeing them leave one by one, felt strange. It hurt, just a little, but not in any familiar way.

...

Azar and his opponent were sent to a large palace, surrounded by a majestic garden and pristine gates. This place made Azars own mansion look like a poor mans house. "I do not think its a coincidence that you chose this pretty face, is it?" The masked ranger himself sat on a throne at the end of the kings hall, laughing at his own joke. "You have a thing for masks." He had started his turn already, summoning a masked warrior to his field; Stratos(4/1800/300) the Elemental HERO of Wind. Due to its effect, the masked man could add a new 'HERO' monster to his hand. He opted to add a E-Hero Blazeman from his deck to his hand. "You know about that?" All Azar could dwell on was the fact that this man had made a comment about his own past, as if he had seen it. "This is your mind we are in, in a way. Do not ask me to explain it, it's your trial. I just selected the stage because I find it beautiful.." The Ranger took a moment to bask in the sunlight that streamed through the window. "You may call me; Ranger M." He placed a spell card down and ended his turn.

Azars LP: 8000 Ranger M's LP: 8000

"M. This trial, what does it entail?" Azar could not see what the imposed restrictions were. "Do you require illumination, my friend? It is quite simple in design.. yet magnificent in execution. This duel is all about secrets and shedding light on them! This duel, we can not place monsters in defense mode!" M spelled it out. "No defense?" Azar verified it for himself when his D-pad refused to let him set a monster card. "...I see; this is all about offense. In that case." Azar activated a spell card first. "Hand Destruction! We both discard 2 cards from our hands and draw 2 new cards!" Azar discarded Dragon Ruler Tempest and Carboneddon. "Why would you do something so cruel to my heroes?" M was forced to relinquish E-HERO Wildheart and E-HERO Bubbleman. "To set up this next move!" Azar moved one discarded monster, a carbonized dinosaur, to his banished zone. "By removing Carboneddon from the grave, I can special summon 1 level 7 or lower normal dragon-type monster from my deck!" Azar used the effect to special summon RedEyes Black Dragon(7/2400/2000) in defense mode.

Azar then normal summoned a monster; a holy maiden with long white hair'(1/0/0). "This is Maiden with Eyes of Blue; a tuner monster! I tune her with RedEyes to synchro summon Stardust Spark Dragon!" The maiden dissolved into 1 energy ring. Redeyes flew up through the ring and was converted to seven level stars. Its stars and the Maidens energy were synchronized and created a dignified blue/white dragon(8/2500/200). The Ranger actually got up from his throne to get a good look at this monster."Oh me oh my, that cards reminds me of something I have not seen since.. I cant remember." Azar then ordered his Spark Dragon to attack Stratos. "I do not know what memories you hold, M. But I am not here for the past. I am here for the future!"

"First you need to deal with the present, good sir!" M struck a pose, pointing to his monster. "Stratos, evolve!" He flipped a quickplay spell: Mask Change. "Masks?" The spell placed a green mask on Stratos, transforming him into a caped warrior in green ranger-like armor(8/2700/1900). "My spell changes a HERO into a Masked HERO of the same element, summoning the fusion monster from my extra deck! Stratos of the wind becomes Masked HERO Divine Wind!" Stardust Spark was pushed back to Azar by fierce winds. It could not finish its attack. "So this is your true strategy.." Azar placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. "You should not be so surprised. After all, I called myself Ranger M.. not E." The Ranger chuckled heartily.

...

Back at the real Agency HQ, Claud was providing Rita with as much comfort as he could give her. "Hey Rita. How are you doing, feeling fine? Can I get you anything?" He spoke to her while she lied unresponsively in her bed. "You must have been more exhausted than we thought huh?" She had been sleeping for half a day now. It was enough to look unnatural. Claud just kept blabbing in the hopes that he could annoy her into consciousness. No luck so far. "Well maybe you need a new pillow." Claud moved towards her. "Hm?" He stopped when he saw something shine besides her bed. "What the.." He picked it up. It was her Number card, and it was glowing. "Whaaaat, why is it doing this?"

(To be Continued in Cipher 31: Who Am I?)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Carboneddon

-  
Stardust Spark Dragon

**Cards used by Ranger M  
**Elemental HERO Stratos  
Masked HERO Divine Wind  
Elemental HERO Wildheart  
Elemental HERO Bubbleman

-  
Mask Change


	32. (Cipher 197): Who am I?

**(Cipher 197) 31: ****Who am I?**

Azars LP: 8000 Ranger M's LP: 8000

It was Ranger M's turn ."This is my time to shine! Go forth, Blazeman! Bring me the power of fusion!" He normal summoned a red brawler(4/1200/1800) with hair of fire. This summon activated its effect to put a 'Polymerization' card from the deck into his masters hand. "Not that my intentions are to perform a fusion summon. I just needed something to throw away.. I activate Mask Change Second! I discard 1 card and exchange any monster on my field for one a Masked HERO of the same attribute, but with a higher level!" M discarded his Polymerization, while the fire-elemental Blazeman put on a red mask with blue visors, and donned the fiery armor of a flame-warrior(6/2200/1800). "You are Masked HERO Goka! You gain 100 attackpoints for each Hero in my graveyard!" There were four (Stratos, Bubbleman, Wildheart &amp; Blazeman, so Goka(2600/1800) gained 400 attackpoints. "The first attack!" His new Masked warrior launched a punch covered in flames at Azars Stardust Spark Dragon(8/2500/2000). "Stardust Spark Dragon can prevent a monsters destruction once a turn!" Azar quickly activated the dragons effect, letting Stardust target itself. A protective sphere warded off Goka's flames for now.

Azars LP: 7900

"Once a turn you say? That's music to my ears!" Of course M had another monster left. "Divine wind! Deliver your fury!" The tempest's masked hero(8/2700/1900) rushed forwards, cutting Stardust Spark Dragon in half with a blade of wind. "When Divine wind vanquishes a foe, I may draw one card." M drew once. Yet Azar would gain a new card as well. "I activate my trap card! Shadow Impulse!" Azars eyes turned black briefly, as a wave of darkness pulsated outwards. He used this surge of pain to strengthen himself. "When my synchro monster is destroyed, I may summon another from my extra deck. It must have the same level and type as the destroyed monster!" Azar used the death of his level 8 Stardust, to special summon Beelze the King of Dark Dragons(8/3000/3000) from his deck. "Beelze can not be destroyed! Any damage I take will only increase its attackpoints!"

Azars LP: 7700

"A perfect fiend.. it suits your duality well. Though it is still a synchro monster. I have never been fond of such a non sequitur." Ranger M activated a quickplay spell card from his hand. "Fusions will never be surpassed in my mind! I activate Flash Fusion! I can fusion summon right now!" Ranger M combined Divine wind with Goka. "A fusion of two masked Heroes?" Azar could not recall if that could make anything. "Yes, another hero of contrasting ideals! I fusion summon Contrast HERO Chaos!" A knight of black and white armor(9/3000/2600) was formed from wind and fire. "C-Hero Chaos may negate the abilities of a monster you control!" The Hero of Darkness and Light trapped Beelze inside a sphere of colorless light, removing all of the Dark Kings resistances. "Now finally, the coup de grace! Mask Change!"

_"Another normal Mask Change?" _Azar witnessed a third heroic transformation. The quickplay Mask Change spell was activated from Ranger M's hand and changed C-Hero Chaos. It had both the light and dark attribute, and in this case Ranger M used it to summon a Light-type Masked HERO. A ranger(8/2500/1800) in gold. "HERO Koga! You gain 500 attackpoints for each enemy you face! Furthermore, you may use the spirits of your fallen comrades to weaken them!" Koga(3000/1800) banished C-Hero Chaos from the graveyard, and channeled its negative attackpoints into Beelze. The Dark dragon(0/3000) lost attackpoints equal to the banished monsters attackpoints. "Finish it!" Koga then popped out its wrist-blades and used them to slice Beelze down to ribbons. "That ends our first assault!"

Azars LP: 4700

"You are quick.. and dangerous." Azars opponent was well attuned to this defenseless duel. "You remind me of a man I once knew." Though that man was no longer part of the world. "..My turn. I special summon Tempest, Dragon Ruler of Storms." First he let the dragon in his graveyard banish two other dragons (RedEyesB. Dragon and Stardust Spark Dragon) to revive itself(7/2400/2200). "I normal summon Rescue Rabbit and use its effect!" Secondly he brought out the worker rabbit(4/300/100), who could banish itself to special summon two same-named level 4 or lower normal monsters from his deck. Azar brought out a pair of Alexandrite Dragons(4/2000/100) with it. "I overlay the Alexandrites to Xyz-summon Kachi Kochi Dragon!" Two dragons of crystalline skin formed one massive dragon(4/2100/1300) made from pure diamond. "Oh? Xyz-monsters now? You really are adding a lot of color to your pallet!" Ranger M laughed. "But that is why we wear the mask I suppose. To be unpredictable, to hide ourselves from others! You can tell me, you enjoy your second identity.. dont you?"

"It not just that, M. The mask lets me do things I could never do before. I became more than myself, I became the darkness and the light!" Azar activated a spell. "Leeching the Light; my monsters gain attackpoints equal to that of your light-monster!" The radiance of Koga(3500/1800), now powered up twice by the presence of two monsters, was sucked away. His powers were leeched by both the dragon Tempest(5900/2200) and Kachi Kochi Dragon(5600/1300). "Tempest attacks first!" The dragon ruler summoned an immense whirlwind that shook every painting of the palace walls and shattered all windows. "I activate Koga's effect!" As it turned out though, the Masked HERO of light could use its power in the opponents turn as well. "I banish Masked HERO Divine wind!" Koga used the 2700 attackpoints of the wind-warrior... and weakened Kachi Kochi(2900/1300). "Oof!" Tempest was free to sweep the Masked HERO Koga away into the distance.

Ranger M's LP: 5600

"Nice speech. Nice subterfuge too. You wanted me to use Koga's ability on Tempest. But if had done that, your other monster would have finished me off." Ranger M was not going to disregard Kachi Kochi. That Xyx-monster could attack twice if it killed a monster in battle. Not weakening Tempest was the better move to make. "So your act is another mask. You are actually quite cunning to see through it that quickly." Azar complimented his opponent, before attacking him directly with his crystal dragon.

Ranger M's LP: 2700

"I will take that compliment, my friend!" The Ranger let out another hearty chuckle. "And I will take my turn with it!" Azar had ended his turn after his attack. The leeched powerboosts and Koga's depowering effect were undone (Tempest: 2400 ark, Kachi-Kochi Dragon: 2100 atk). "But you are still acting as well, wearing a mask without a mask if you will. Those speeches, are they really you? Or are they just the you, you want to be?" Ranger M waited for an answer, but Azar gave none. "Oh, well you have all the time to think about that, while I get more ammo!" The Ranger activated a spell card, Mask Charge. It placed a Hero monster and a 'Change' spell from the grave back into his hand "Mask Charge return Wildheart and Mask Change to me! Come Wildheart and take your mask!" The jungle warrior(4/1500/1600) was normal summoned and swiftly targeted by that retrieved Mask Change. The quickplay spell took the earth-attribute warrior. "Masked HERO Dian!" This time a HERO turned into a lance wielding silver knight(8/2800/300). "When Dian destroys a monster, he can special summon a HERO from my main deck!"

"Just dont presume, he will not start this assault alone!" The ranger activated one more spell. "Miracle Fusion! I fuse two fallen Elemental Heroes!" The miraculous polymerizing spell combined Wildheart and Bubbleman in the graveyard; one HERO monster and one water-monster. "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" A pure-white caped hero(8/2500/2000) of ice was a the result of a fusion with these materials. "Go Dian! Vanquish the dragon of crystals!" Dian took his lance and leaped forward, driving his weapon into Kachi Kochi Dragon and breaking the diamond monster into pieces. "Dian, you may call for aid now!" Using its effect, the earthen hero special summoned a HERO of the darkness; a female black knight(4/1000/1500) with long blue hair. "It's your turn, Elemental Hero Shadow Mist." When she was special summoned, her master could add a 'Change' quickplay-spell card from his deck to his hand. Ranger M claimed his third and final 'Mask Change'. "And I have so much more to show you.."

Azars LP: 4000

"Form Change!" Before he activated that last Mask spell, he had a different 'change' to force on a HERO. "This quickplay spell swaps one fusion Hero on my field for a Masked Hero that has the same level and attribute in my extra deck, and treat it as a Mask Change summon!" It was Absolute Zero who he chose to return to the extra deck. The subzero warrior discarded its armor plates by releasing a burst of energy and adopted a new form; a gunman(8/2600/2100) in a red&amp;blue outfit. "!" Azar knew what Absolute Zero's effect could do; the fusion HERO destroyed all the enemy's monsters whenever it left the field. _"And Acid.." _Masked Hero Acid had an equally devastaing effect, it wiped out all spells when it was special summoned. "Rgh" With a storm of snow and a hail of acicid bullets, Ranger M had destroyed both Tempest the Dragon Ruler and Azars last trap card. "I have a straight shot at my opponent. Move out, my heroes!" Two direct attacks were made. The Heroine of shadows and Hero of Acid blasted Azar with black magic and acid.

Azars LP: 400

"One more, my friend! I have yet to introduce the Masked Hero of the dark!" Now was when M activated the third Mask Change spell, using it on its finder Shadowmist. "The dark-type Shadowmist becomes Masked HERO Dark Law!" A black panthers mask was given to her, and a sharper stronger set of black armor. Dark Law(6/2400/1800) was summoned. "I am affraid you failed your trial. So let me know before the end.. what is your name?" Dark Law could still attack. It ran towards Azar on all fours, its claws drawn. "My name?" No matter how close it got, Azar showed no fear. "I am Azar Helder!" At the last second he discarded a card from his hand, and placed a lizard-like dragon(4/0/1700) with a shield of scales on its back in front of Dark Law. "I activate the effect of Draconic Gardna, negating the battle damage during a turn in which a dragon monster was destroyed!" Dark Law's claws broke upon impact with the dragons shield. Only dragons could damage this monster. And even though it had to be summoned in attack-position, Draconic Gardna could negate the battle damage. "Oh! A last second lifesaving move? Classic!" Ranger M was thrilled, despite his failed finisher. "You managed to survive all six elements, Helder!"

_Draconic Gardna, 4/0/1700 Earth/Dragon_  
_Cannot be destroyed by battle except with Dragon-type monsters. You take no battle damage during the turn this card is summoned.  
During either players turn, if a dragon-type monster was sent to the graveyard that turn and your lifepoints are lower than your opponents; __you can special summon this card from your hand._

"So I have." Ranger M's turn was over again. This would have to be Azars last turn, unless Azar could destroy all HERO monsters. Draconic Gardna was a great big sitting duck now, Azar could not switch it to defense mode due to the trials rules. Power was all that worked here. "My turn." Azar activated the Dragon Rulers summoning effect one more time; banishing Alexandrite Dragon and Kachi-Kochi from the graveyard. "I activate the spell card; Sacred Sword of the Seven Stars! It banishes a level 7 monster and lets me draw two cards!" Tempest was removed permanently, and Azars hand was re-filled. "Oh no! This could be bad!" Ranger M gasped loudly. "But wait, what is this? Oh Azar, it looks like.. Dark Law's effect was triggered just now!" He gestured at Azars hand with his finger like a gun. "Dark Law banishes one card you control, when you add cards to your hand outside of your draw phase.. Bang!" M pulled the proverbial trigger, and Dark Law shredded Azars left card completely with its claws. "You see now, don't you? Dark Law makes his own laws! That is the ultimate gift of the mask, the ability to get away with what the normal you can not do. You told me you are Azar. But you are more, just like I am more than a name I have forgotten."

"...You are right, M. Perhaps I lose myself in my other sides sometimes, perhaps I do enjoy wearing a mask." Azar had two cards left. They would do. "But Azar is who I was born as, I am not who I want to be, not what I can do. I wanted to be the one who saved the world, and now I know I am not alone." Azar activated a Swing of Memories spell card to special summon the remaining Alexandrite Dragon from his graveyard. "I will xyz-summon again." Alexandrite was overlayed with Draconic Gardna. The two monsters formed a sleek long-necked black dragon(4/2500/2000). "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon; by detaching its two materials It can absorb half your monsters attackpoints!" Dark rebellion opened its wings and fired energy draining blasts from them. Dian(1400/3000) was its target and half of its power was added to the Xyz Dragon(3900/3000). "I believe this is checkmate, Ranger M." One attack against the weakened Masked HERO and enough of the opponents lifepoints were depleted to signal the end of the defenseless trial. The holograms were done away with, and the duel concluded.

Ranger M's LP: 0

"I have to agree. I suppose this is what happens when the recreationally masked tangle with the necessarily masked." Ranger M sighed as he sat back in his throne, even though the rest of the palace was fading out. "No. Do not call me that. I do not want masks anymore.. I wish the world did not need secrets anymore." Azar had lied enough to fill a lifetime.

"Then isn't the world you are fighting against, the very thing you desire?"

Azar turned around and saw Prometheus standing behind him. He and his Echo-opponent were back in the red void. "The world Pandora created is one where people can be honest with each other without repercussions. Where they can coexist as One." The Ninth seemingly heard Azars words. Had he seen the duel from here? "No, Prometheus." Azar countered. "Peace based on a lie is not a peace at all. The One we all exist for now is not each other, but 'Her'. Our own decisions and free will do not make a difference. One day we may turn our world into a paradise, but we need to achieve it because _we_ want it." Some secrets were still necessary. One being should not know everything, or control every one in the entire universe. "Yet defeating Pandora will leave a hole. The Numbers will run free once more without a will to guide them. Do you intend to take Its place, you as the heir of Terminus' power?" Prometheus had another point to make. "..and what of your own race? They will be able to take advantage of the Numbers without the Eight weighing down their more malicious desires.."

"Humanity can work together with the Numbers, live with them." Azar did not like the argument he was using back at Prometheus, it sounded like standing at the edge of a slippery slope. "If there has to be a uniting will, I will see to it that one exists. But my focus lies on defeating Pandora for now. I would not do what 'she' has done, I would not erase people's memories. They make us what we are." He admitted to himself that he had not given this much thought before. For all his plans, he had always been a man of the now and then. There was no need to worry about step 3 if step 1 wasnt completed yet.

"Well said." The Masked Ranger now started clapping after all this speeching was done. "I can tell now that those words come from your heart. You have become what you wanted to be, Azar Helder." M made one final bow, and placed his hands on his helmet. "A real.." He took it off.. and dissolved. "!? What.. happened to him?" For unknown reasons Ranger M turned to black dust. "The Echoes can not keep existing after their reason for existing has passed away. They were never more than imitations of true life." Prometheus picked up the black dust and let it be blown away by an unfelt wind. "With each trial won, your hold over this world will strengthen and you will come closer to the truth. You and your friends." He moved aside and revealed Necara standing in the void with Azar.

"Necara? You already finished your trial?" That was quicker than he expected. Then again it was hard to keep track of time here. "...This is pointless." She had not in fact won a duel yet, she had not even gone for one of the remaining shadows. "Why do you say that? Necara? What are you afraid of?" He could not ignore her anymore, there was more than concern in her voice. "Is this about the Numberless?" She had been like this ever since he picked her up at the hotel. "It's not.. that. I.. The End is still strong."She muttered while her fingertips touched each other. "Necara. I said this before, The End is part of you, not the other way around. Its as strong as you want it to be." Azar tried to comfort her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "No!" She lashed out and slapped the hand away. "That is not the problem! _They_ know, Esther will find out!"

"Esther.. and the others? How can they get to us here?" To Azar this place seemed like it would be hard for anyone to stumble upon. "Because of the one with the pink hair." But Necara had already found her culprit. "Rita? What are you trying to say?" It sounded like she was implying Rita was betraying them? "No. But the girl is right about everything else." Prometheus interrupted the conversation. "I just sensed it myself. They know where you are, where your mind us.. Pandora is coming. The one called Rita is having her physical mind probed as we speak. Rita is unaware that she will be converted soon. It will only be a matter of time, before she tells them where to find your bodies in the physical world... You will not be able to finish the trials in time, if the Seven come there. And those who have not finished yet, can not leave at all."

(To be Continued in Cipher 32: Learn from the Future)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**_Draconic Gardna_

-  
Shadow Impulse

**New Cards used by Ranger M  
**Elemental HERO Blazeman  
Masked HERO Goka  
Contrast HERO Chaos  
Masked HERO Koga  
Masked HERO Dian  
Elemental HERO Absolute Zero  
Elemental HERO Shadow Mist  
Masked HERO Acid  
Masked HERO Dark Law

-  
Mask Change Second  
Flash Fusion  
Mask Charge  
Miracle Fusion  
Form Change


	33. (Cipher 198): Learn from the Future

**(Cipher 198) 32: Learn from the Future**

"So do you have a name?" The world that Shin and his opponent were transported to was rather large bedroom, with grand closets and an expensive-looking bed. The floors were covered with cards and stuffed animals. "She does, but she did not tell you. Sorry." The young girl with red hair must have had some connection with this place. "She will tell you that in this trial, no cards can be hidden." The girl drew five cards, all five of which were shown to Shin as if their backs were see-through. Even the card on top of his deck was laid bare. "Oh. A duel without secrets?!" Shin was allowed to have the first turn "Well, I am as ready as I ever will be! I draw my cards!"

Shins LP: 8000 Her LP: 8000

(Shins Hand: Gagaga Child, Gagaga Magician, Mathematician, Spell Shattering Arrow, Spellbook of Power, Spellbinding Illusion) (On Top of Deck: Hyper Quick)

(Her Hand: Dandylion, Sylvan Snapdrassinagon, Sylvan Cherubsprout, Sylvan Charity, Sylvan Waterslide) (On Top of Deck: Sylvan Flowerknight)

Shin placed Spell Shattering Arrow from his hand face-down. That card was also revealed to him and her. "Aha.. I summon Gagaga Magician!" Shin brought out the gagaga master first(4/1500/1000) through a normal summon, and he activated its effect to raise his(8/1500/1000) level by 4 stars. "And then Gagaga Child! This Gagaga can be special summoned when I control a Gagaga-monster already! The Child will have the same level! Tho' I can not enter the battle phase if this effect is used this turn. Not that I have one this turn.." An icecream-bar wielding mage kid(2/800/1200) jumped on Gagaga Magicians shoulders to gain 6 of his(8/800/1200) own level stars. "I Xyz-summon Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" The two level 8 monsters were overlayed and formed his Number 62; the primal photon dragon(8/4000/3000). "That oughtta do it for now!"

"Yes. Now." The girl entered her draw phase, taking Sylvan Flowerknight from her deck. "Now she activated Sylvan Charity. With a Sylvan monster revealed, she can draw three times. But two cards, one of them a Sylvan, had to be placed on top of the deck." The girl drew three cards (Mt. Sylvania, Sylvan Lotuswain, Intrigue shield) and returned Sylvan Snapdrassinagon and Sylvan Cherubsprout to the top of her deck. "Now she summons Sylvan Flowerknight, who could excavate one card from her deck when normal summoned." A knight(4/1800/1000) in leaf-like armor appeared and immediately cut off the top card, Sylvan Snapdrassinagon, of the girls deck with his sword. "Flowerknight sent the card to the grave, if it is a plant monster. And Snapdrassinagon, when excavated, could excavate the next card on top as well." A snapdragonflower assassin stabbed the Sylvan Cherubsprout in the deck with ninja daggers; excavating it.

Cherubsprout was a plant too, so it could be sent to the graveyard. "Sylvan Cherubsprout summoned a level 1 planet, when excavated and sent to the dead." The discarded sprout special summoned a second copy(1/100/100) of itself from the girls deck. "When Cherubsprout was special summoned, she excavates up to 2 of the cards from her deck." The Cherub slapped the deck with its tail. The two cards that had been shuffled to the top after it was summoned, Spore and Sylvan Guardioak, were sent to the cemetery. The latter monsters effect was triggered because of this. "Sylvan Guardioak's effect places one other dead plant on top." The Oak targeted Sylvan Snapdrassinagon in the grave and returned it to the top of her deck. "The next thing that she did was.."

_"Oh man. This turn will never end."_ Shin thought to himself. The girl seemed to be in a world of her own. She took the other excavated card, Spore, and placed it on her field. "Summoning this tuner monster by banishing Guardioak." Once during the game, the cotton ball plant(6/400/800) could revive itself by absorbing another plants remains and level stars. Guardioak had added its five stars to Spore's one. And as it was a tuner.. "She then synchro summoned Ancient Pixie Dragon in attack position." The girl made Spore tune itself with Cherubsprout, to summon a blue serpentine dragon(7/2100/3000) with a green mane and large butterfly wings. "Okay, fairie dragons now? Didn't see that coming." Shin should have checked her extra deck beforehand, since that option was also available.

"You couldn't, she is sorry that her eyes are better..." The girl activated Mt. Sylvania from her hand. "Ancient Pixie always drew one card from her deck, when a field spell is played." As the large white mountain arose in miniature form, a Sylvan Blessing trap card was drawn from the top of the girls deck. "Whenever a field was active, the Ancient Dragon claimed lives." Meaning her dragon could destroy Shins Galaxy-Eyes Dragon now that she controlled a field spell. "Oh no!" But just in time Shin flipped his quickplay spell card. "Spell Shattering Arrow destroys your face-up spells and inflicts 500 damage for each one!" An arrow of light pierced the sylvanian mountain, reducing it to snowdust and rubble. Some of which fell on the girl "She saw this coming, the field had done what it needed to." None of her monsters could defeat Shins Number now. So she ended this turn, after she placed all traps in her hand facedown.

Her LP: 7500

"Eesh. My head is spinning." Shin could barely follow the moves she was making. Her disjointed speech pattern did not help. "But I know it is my turn!" He drew his next card; Hyper Quick.

(Shins Hand: Mathematician, Spellbook of Power, Spellbinding Illusion, Hyper Quick) (On Top of Deck: Spell Recycler)

(Her Hand: Sylvan Lotuswain, Dandylion) (On Top of Deck: Sylvan Snapdrassinagon) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Sylvan Waterslide, Sylvan Blessing, Intrigue Shield)

"I can see what my next card is gonna be. But I think I want to put fate into my own hands!" Shin summoned the scholarly dwarf wizard: Mathematician(4/1500/500). "Mathematician sends a level 4 or lower monster from my deck to the graveyard!" Shin used it to send Stoic of Prophecy. Not only did this activate Stoic's effect because it was sent to its grave, but this would also shuffle his deck around twice, placing a different card on top. Stoic of Prophecy meanwhile allowed Shin to claim a lowleveled Prophecy monster from his deck. He chose Temperance of Prophecy. "Then I target Mathematician with Spellbook of Power! This adds 1000 attackpoints to my spellcaster!" The math wizard studied the tome and learned a spell to empower himself(2500/500) for one turn. "I do not know about you, miss. But I think we all make our own future! I attack!" Shins monsters charged their energy. Mathematician managed to destroy Sylvan Flowerknight; fulfilling Spellbook of Powers conditions for its second effect. Shin could add Spellbook of Secrets from his deck to his hand.

Her LP: 6800

However when the dragon of photons targeted the dragon of pixies, a trap card was flipped. "His own future he said. He thought he could decide the future? Nobody can. No matter how many hopes and dreams he created, only one path could be followed. That path now took them here.." The trap, a knight's shield, was placed on Ancient Pixie Dragon. "She activated Intrigue Shield, which forever protected one monster. Once each turn, it survived attacks and nullified damages." The Intrigue Shield intercepted Galaxy-Eyes Prime Dragons burst of photonic energy. Number could not bypass this trap card either, nor did the girl take any damage. "Had no way around that." Shin sighed. He figured she would want to defend her synchro monster with a card like that. "Hmm, I set two cards and end my turn." He would have to rely on his monsters attackpoints and spells to keep him safe for now.

(Shins Hand: Temperance of Prophecy, Spellbook of Secrets) (On Top of Deck: Double Tension) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Hyper Quick, Spellbinding Illusion)

"She regrets that. Even when you can see, you can not always change what happens. He learned that with great pain." The girl activated another continuous trap: Sylvan Waterslide. "She used this trap effect, turning a draw into an excavation." By skipping her drawphase, the girl could excacate Sylvan Snapdrassinagon from the top of the deck. This in turn activated the assassins own excavation effect. It excavated the Sylvan Peaskeeper that lied under it, and sent it to the grave. "When the Peaskeeper was sent to the dead in this manner, she could bring one 'gone' Sylvan back to the living." The peas from the pod were consumed by Sylvan Cherubsprout. The Cherub returned to her field. As it was special summoned, it could excavate the top card of the deck. "Yet, as she said then, the future did not agree with her at all times." As it turned out, the next cards on top of her deck were not plant monsters. They were a spell and trap card respectively.

(Her Hand: Sylvan Lotuswain, Dandylion) (On Top of Deck: Fragrance Storm Wall of Thorns) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Sylvan Blessing)

Cherubsprout could not send those two cards to the graveyard after excavating them. Fragrance Storm and Wall of Thorns were placed on the bottom of the deck instead. This left a Sylvan Sagequoia on top. "Time is always changing, misfortune can return to fortune." She moved to her main phase and sacrificed Sylvan CherubSprout to tribute summon a high-level Sylvan; a lotusboat riding plantman(5/2300/1100). "She then summoned Sylvan Lotuswain, who could excavate a card for each of the opponents cards." Shin controlled two monsters and two traps, thus four cards were excavated from the top of the deck by Lotuswain. The plants among them (Sylvan Sagequoia and Sylvan PrincessSprout) were sent to the graveyard. The rest were shuffled into the deck. "This excavation into the grave triggered two effects. Sylvan Sagequoia sent one Sylvans spell back to her hand." Sagequoia's effect was used to place Mount Sylvania back in her hand. "Sylvan PrincessSprout sent herself back to the field. Declaring a level for herself." The older and more dignified Princess cherub(7/100/100) revived herself; adding 6 stars to her initial single level star. "Oh boy." Shin did not need be psychic to tell that this was gonna hurt.

"After this came Sylvan Blessing." The girl flipped her last trap. "One card from her hand was placed underneath the deck, and one Sylvan from her cemetery was summoned." The trap pushed the girl's Dandylion to the decks bottom and resuscitated the excavated Sylvan Sagequoia(7/2600/2100). "Now it happened, the summon process of the future." The Sage tree was placed on top of the Princess Sprout, so they could be attached to a rank 7 Xyz monster. "She Xyz-summoned the Sylvan High Arbiter Orea." In their place stood a noble white phoenix(7/2800/2500), with wings like the rainbow and plume feathers like the amazon. "Orea then tried to use her power; to excavate cards and return other cards, equal to the number of plants that were excavated." Orea was about to detach one of its materials, but its master already knew it would never make it in time. "I guess thats my cue! I activate Spellbinding Illusion! Your monsters powers are sealed and he is weakened!" The Sylvan Phoenix(2200/2500) was ensnared and immobilized in a magical circle.

_Spellbinding Illusion, Continuous Trap  
__Activate this card by targeting 1 monster your opponent controls; It loses 500 ATK.  
__Its effects are negated while this card is face-up on the field. When that monster is destroyed, destroy this card._

"He used everything he had, at the right time. He held a power similar to her, a sense for darker tomorrows. Even then it was not enough." The girl had predicted this as well, going by the tone of her words. "He could not avoid destruction, or death." She reactivated Mount Sylvania. The return of the white mountain gave Ancient Pixie Dragon the power to draw another card for her master. "She knows." Then the girl activated her synchro dragons other effect, making it glow and emit light rays. "Gh." Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon was overwhelmed by the light and destroyed. "This time he failed to save his brothers namesake and the source of his visions. Then more followed." The battle phase begun. Ancient Pixie Dragon slammed its tail down into Mathematician, crushing it. At least when Mathematician(1500/500) was destroyed as a result of battle, Shin could draw a new card from his deck.

Shins LP: 7400

"What are you even talking about? Can you really see the future or something?" Shin felt like he had missed an entire conversation. Who was she actually talking too? Sure his own Number gave him glimpses of the future, but it didn't leave him this disoriented. "She is blind to the past and present, she sees all futures only." The girl made her remaining monsters, Sylvan Lotuswain and High Arbiter Orea, attack Shin directly. "She knows why you are here, she knows why you duel her." Afterwards she placed one trap card, Mistake, down on her field. The girl ended her turn, and during the endphase she activated the effect of Mount Sylvania. Her field spell excavated a card from the top of her deck; a Sylvan Kumushroomro in this case. That monster destroyed one spell or trap card on the field whenever it was sent to the grave via excavation. "You did not succeed." Spellbinding Illusion was destroyed and the Sylvan Phoenix was afreed.

Shins LP: 2900

(Her Hand: Nothing) (On Top of Deck: Call of the Haunted) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Mistake)

(Shins Hand: Temperance of Prophecy, Spellbook of Secrets, Double Tension) (On Top of Deck: Monster Gate) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Hyper Quick)

"What does that mean? That I am going to lose? Just hearing that can change everything you know!" Shin shouted. He was no longer confused, he was getting worried. "She means that you can not save him.. the one closest to you. No matter how much of the future you see." Was her answer. "Closest? Who? .Azar, Subito, mom dad? Wh-what did you see?" Worry turned to fear. "Tell me!" He demanded as he started his turn. "She can not, she does not wish to change the future anymore than she already has by warning him. It would not help him" The girl then activated 'Mistake' before Shin could move to his next phase. "The trap sealed his Spellbook of Secrets." Mistake was a continuous trap that stopped other effects from adding cards to a players hand. Cards could only be drawn from the deck. "No. I do not believe that I can not do anything! We arent enslaved by time like.. dolls or something! There is always a way!" Shins plan to trigger Temperance's effect with his Spellbook could not be implemented now. But that card had another use.

(Shins Hand: Temperance of Prophecy, Spellbook of Secrets, Double Tension, Monster Gate) (On Top of Deck: World of Prophecy) (Face-down in Spell/Trap Zone: Hyper Quick)

Shin normal summoned the hooded Temperance of Prophecy(3/1000/1000) "I use Temperance as a sacrifice for the spell card, Monster Gate!" Temperance disappeared into a portal. In a duel like this, the random factor of Monster Gate had been nullified. "The gate 'excavates' cards from my deck until It reveal a monster that can be normal summoned, and special summons it!" Shin knew exactly what his first monster would be. It was on top of his deck already. "I reveal World of Prophecy and special summon him!" The ultimate spellcaster among the arcana hierarchy was called upon, an angelic wizard(9/2900/2400) emerged from the Gate. "The future not written. I may not know a lot about time, but I know this! The slightest move can re-arrange everything!" On top of Shins deck now was a spell card: Diffusion Wave Motion. The one thing she would not be able to predict was what lied underneath the top card of his deck. Normally he would have to wait one turn to use that card. "I activate my trap, Hyper Quick! To draw and activate my next card!"

_Hyper Quick, Counter Trap  
__Draw 1 card, and if that card is a spell card, activate it. If not, banish that card._

Shins counter trap drew Diffusion Wave Motion, a spell card, and forced its activation. "Diffusion Wave Motion! I pay 1000 lifepoints to divide my highlevel spellcasters power over all your monsters!" World of Prophecy's magic gained a diffusion effect, which would spread and attack all three of the girls monsters once. "First Pixie Dragon!" The first wave traveled towards Ancient Pixie Dragon. "You forgot your present." The Intrigue Shield trap sadly dispersed that wave, and the Pixie Dragon could not be attacked again. "No, I counted on it! You should know this already!" So Shin activated the last spell in his hand, before his second attack. "Double Tension!"

Shins LP: 1900

_Double Tension, Quickplay Spell  
__During the Battle phase of the turn a monster declares a second attack: That monster's ATK is doubled until the end of the battle phase._

"The World's attackpoints are doubled, while it makes it second and third attack!" The ultimate Arcana mage(5800/2400) doubled in size and filled the room. "I know what I have to do, to save my brother! I need to overcome the future you see, and I will start by beating this trial!" The World made holy energy rain down from the heavens above. The blasts destroyed Orea the High Arbiter and Sylvan Lotuswain, delivering enough damage to defeat the girl.

Her LP: 0

"She was not talking about this duel." The girl accepted her defeat with grace and dismissed the holograms, as well as her own room. The two were taken back t darkness. "No matter how many trials were won, they could not save that person. She knows your pain, she lost..will lose, is losing.. someone close to her as well." She looked down and clenched the front of her dress. "..But who, who is it? Who can't I save?" Shin did not know who was supposed to be 'closest' to him. If he did, he could possibly avert this terrible future! "That's over now. She is in a better place.. he will be too." The girl raised her head and smiled.. and became dust. "Ah!" The sight of her disppearing like that gave Shin quite a shock.

"Better place?"

"Eeyah!" But not as big a shock as the one he got from Necara, who had apparently been standing behind him for a while now. "This also happened with the others." She muttered softly. "Necara?" Shin could not tell who she was just talking to him or herself. "Where do they think they go? There is nothing waiting for them.." Even if she was speaking to him, she was not speaking _with_ him. "Necara.. are the others here? Did someone else win a trial yet?" Shin looked around. He only saw Echoes, standing on a nonexistent floor. "Azar made it. He went with the Ninth to speak about something else." She finally answered him. Not that it actually helped his questions. "Something else? Where can they even go from here? And how is Dakar.."

...

"Azar?" Dakar had no idea when Azar and the others were supposed to wake up, but he did expect them all to return together. "Did something go wrong? What about.." So when he saw Azar rise up alone, he assumed the worst. "Everyone should be okay." Azar started to say, when something else appeared in his shadow. "!?" Dakar took a step back almost immediately when he saw the person that emerged. "Azar! It's.." It was Prometheus, in the flesh? "Good, it is me." The Ninth seemed amused. "Yes. We know this works now. I can bring Echoes into this world through one of us.." Azar nodded. He did not sound very alarmed. "Azar, what is going on here? Why is this thing with you?"

"He is not the Prometheus you know, Dakar. He is an ally. And he is the only thing that can save everyone else right... him and Rita."

(To be Continued in Cipher 33: Too Kind too Care)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Gagaga Child

-  
Spell Shattering Arrow

_-  
Spellbinding Illusion (+)_

_(+ Based on the trap used by Yugi in Yugioh R)_

**Cards used by The Girl  
**Sylvan Flowerknight  
Sylvan Snapdrassinagon  
Sylvan Cherubsprout  
Sylvan Guardioak  
Spore  
Ancient Pixie Dragon  
Sylvan Peaskeeper  
Sylvan Lotuswain  
Sylvan PrincessSprout  
Sylvan Sagequoia  
Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter  
Sylvan Komushroomo

-  
Sylvan Charity  
Mount Sylvania

-  
Intrigue Shield  
Sylvan Waterslide  
Sylvan Blessing  
Mistake


	34. (Cipher 199): Too Kind to Care

**(Cipher 199) 33: Too Kind to Care**

"Subito are you coming?" Ariel knocked on the door to the room where Subito had gone to 'rest'. "Darcy said we are needed for when Esther cures Rita, just in case something goes wrong." They were all at agency HQ now, their search for Azar had been put on hold for the time being. "I am coming." Subito stood up, putting a phone aside. He was halfway past Ariel, when she asked him a question. "What did you really do?" She could see Subito had not gotten any sleep at all. "Nothing.." Subito growled. That was exactly the problem for him. Ariel dropped the subject anyway. "...Let' s move on. Rita needs us."

...

"So what is the handicap here?" Rita faced her opponent inside what seemed to be an office building that stood several dozen stories high. This kid did not look like the business type, but rather she'd just figure out what her challenge was going to be. "Just a sec, I am thinking." The duelist with the cap was checking out settings on his dueldisk device. "Oh this one is good." He snickered to himself and he switched the device to a specific duel mode. "What is it then?" Rita asked as she activated her D-pad as well. "Oh you will see. Your new technology will upload it soon." He inserted his cards and drew five. Rita did the same. "Well I don't see how..hey!" As soon as she had her five cards, they were taken out of her hand. The D-pad demanded it. "What is this?"

Rita's LP: 8000 His LP: 8000

"The rule is this, we start out with now cards in our hand. The only cards you are allowed to use are the ones you draw in your draw phase." He revealed he had discarded his five cards as well. "If that is the case, why bother with the first five cards at all?" Rita was again annoyed that these Echoes were not telling everything straight up. "To make it more fun. Those five cards could save me or you. Regardless, I will be nice to you and hand you the first turn, Rita." The boy waited on drawing. "..How did you know my name? I don't believe we have been introduced." She had not heard his name either, if he even still had one. "Your D-pad told me. Its registered to your full name." He smirked. "Oh." That was not much help in the other direction, as his Dueldisk left his ID blank. It was rare to meet someone who frustrated her as much as Claud from the get-go. She did not even want to pretend to get cute with him. _"Could be worse, I could have gotten my past life here. I guess the odds of me meeting her is very low."_ Rita drew her card. "..I activate After the Storm! If no cards are on the field, I can add one water or wind monster from the graveyard to my hand." Rita used her rather convenient spell to add Aurora Wing back to her hand. That monster she placed face-down. "Your turn, I suppose."

"Is it?" The boy drew his card. "Well, I can't do much about this. End turn." He kept to himself, rather than playing it. "Really?" Rita could draw again. "Exciting, isn't it?" He made a shrugging motion. "I will see about that." Rita drew again. This was a card she could summon. "I call Frozen Phoenix! I also flip Aurora Wing!" Rita brought out the phoenix(4/1600/1600) of icy flames and revealed the aurora-winged bird(4/1200/1600) she had set in the last turn. "Double direct attack!" The two winged beasts attacked directly, scattering paperwork and chairs all over the floor with their chilling winds. "Your turn."

His LP: 5200

"Nope." He just placed one card from his hand down in the spell/trap zone. "Your turn." The rest was passed back to Rita, again. "You are making this too easy." Rita did not know whether she was being insulted, or if he really was just having bad draw after bad draw. She did not care either, a win was a win in her books. "Double attack!" Unfortunately she could not do even more damage than the previous turn, as she drew a trap card this drawphase. Aurora Wing and Frozen Phoenix came together to glace over another section of the office. "Brrrr.. they should crank up the thermostat in this place." The boy rubbed his own arms and shivered/. "You're done?" He asked, before Rita placed a trap card down. "I am now."

His LP: 2400

"Nice." He drew his next card. "I knew it. Patience always pays off." He finally played a card, a microscope. "Huh?" Rita watched as that small tool transformed, folding legs out of its body and growing arms. "A transformer?" It was a monster(3/800/1400), a tuner robot. "The term is morphtronic. This particular variant is Morphtronic Scopen! Scopen can summon one level 4 Morphtronic from my hand; Morphtronic Staplen!" The scope placed a Stapler on the field, which transformed into a robot(4/1400/1000) as well. "I was biding my time for this moment, and here it is!" Scopen could be tuned with Staplen to create a level 7 synchro monster. "I synchro summon Power Tool Mecha Dragon!" The seven level stars shot up through the roof. "Oye!" The hole allowed a mechanical dragon(7/2300/2500) made from several construction parts to enter the building.

"Only 2300 attackpoints? You call that worth your time?" Rita scoffed. She had seen scarier level 7 monsters. "You laugh now, Rita. But oh boy, wait til you see this." The boy flipped his face-down card, which turned out to be an equip spell card. "I equip my dragon with Break Draw! Once a turn, when an equip spell is placed on Power Tool, I may draw one card!" He did so, drawing another equip spell from his deck. "Alright! I activate Flint, on your monster!" A three-armed metallic lock was placed around the Frozen Phoenix(1300/1600). "Flint reduces your monsters powers and makes sure it cannot attack!" He slammed his hands together. "It's time!" The mechanical dragon flew forwards, and pierced the phoenix with its screwdriver hand. Rita's monster returned to molten ash. "Oh and Flint finds a new host, when its other one dies!" The Flint equip spell came back out of the graveyard and attached itself to Aurora Wing(900/1600) now. "I hope that was more to your tastes, Rita."

Rita's LP: 7000

"Don't try to please me." Rita drew yet another card. "..." Only now was she starting to see this trial had to be taken carefully, she could not expend all her options at once. "If I summon Ragnazero, maybe I can.. no. If I remove Aurora Wing from my field." To Xyz-summon a rank 4 monster, she would have to use the winged beast that had Flint equipped. In that case Flint would just latch on to the Xyz-monster that was summoned. "Even then.. only Numbers can destroys Numbers." Ragnazero would become weaker than Power Tool Mecha Dragon, but it could not be killed by that dragon.

"Oh. I need to give you an Update." The boy interrupted her thoughts. "Numbers are not so special in this world. Any old monster can kill them here." He pointed to her extra deck. "What?" Rita checked her extra deck. He was telling the truth, both her Number cards lacked the text that claimed they could not be destroyed in battle by non-Numbers. "How come?" She switched Aurora Wing to defense mode and placed another monster face-down. "The Numbers have never been able to affect Echoes like me, we are just incompatible. When we face each other, we weaken each other. It has something to do with this world, every Number had to come through here before they could get a human partner." The boy drew again. "At least, that is how I think it is. I am a bit of a visionary, you see.."

He special summoned a new Morphtronic from his hand by banishing a Morphtronic, Staplen, from his graveyard. "Morphtronic Smartfon." This one was a mobile phone(1/100/100), summoned in attack position. "Smartfon can roll a die and inspect a number of cards in my deck based on the rolls results." He tossed his dice, and it landed on a five. "Very acceptable." The top five cards of his deck was excavated and revealed. "If there is a Morphtronic card among these cards, I can add it to my hand." One of the cards was Morphtronic Accelerator. He placed it in his hand and reshuffled the other four cards back into his deck. "Now then.. Mecha Tool attacks!" Aurora Wing was destroyed by the dragon of machines, who used its shovel claw to crush the bird. "..." Rita had a face-down monster left. Once this duel, Aurora Wing could also resummon itself to her field after it was destroyed in battle. Meanwhile Flint equipped itself to the Smartphone morpher(0/100). "Draw!" The boy then used Break Draws effect, drawing a morphtronic monster.

"I will use the spell, Morphtronic Accelerator! I can return one Morphtronic monster in my hand to my deck, then I can destroy one if your cards!" He placed an accelator machine on the floor and fed it a Morphtronic Clocken. The energy it subsequently built up was released as a beam of light. The light targeted and destroyed Rita's facedown Nightmare Penguin(4/900/1800). "Oh, that could have been not nice." The penguin could return one monster to a players hand if it was flipped. A synchro monster of course would be exiled to the extra deck. "But you are too late to play the slow game now, Rita." Morphtronic Accelerators 2nd effect allowed the boy to draw a new card. "Mage Power!" It was a new equip spell. He placed it on Power Tool Mecha Dragon. "The monster equipped with this gains 500 attackpoints for each spell and trap card I control!" As he controlled three of them, the dragon(3800/2500) gained three power-ups. Not to mention, its own effect was now activated thanks to this newly equipped spell. His master could draw again. "See what I mean? I already have my plus-maker. Nobody would know I started with just one card!" He placed the card down in his spell/trap zone, which added another boost to the empowered dragon(4300/2500)

"Tss." Rita had to get rid of at least one of his monsters, and fast. She switched Aurora Wing back to attack mode. "Attack Smartfon!" The bird of nothern lights buried the smartphone morpher under many layers of snow. Unfortunately Flint now leaped out of the snow and grabbed Aurora Wing(900/1600) again. "I set another card and end my turn!"

His LP: 1200

"You had to do that of course." He drew a card and immediately moved into the battle phase. "But you can not keep up anymore." The Mecha Dragon slammed into Aurora Wing with its shovel tail. This time it would not be coming back to life. Flint was not placed back on the field either. "That is the price of greed. One I learned myself. I saw so many things and I wanted them all. I lost everything instead." The boy activated Break Draw again to draw a new cards. It was another equip spell, a second Mage Power. "!" The synchro dragon(6300/2500) employed that card as well, to charge itself up along with the first Mage Power. Mecha Dragon also gave the boy a new card from his deck. "..See, I could use up all my zones for that extra 1000 points of attackpower, but then I would run out of spell/trap zones." He had a trap and an equip spell in his hand, neither was all that vital. "But I have enough, I know what I want." He ended his turn. "Rita, do you know what you want?"

Rita's LP: 3600

"I know why.." It was true that in the past, Rita had demanded many luxuries. She was still fond of them, but the pleasure they gave had lessened. "I want something I can not just buy. Something that cannot be replaced." She banished two water monsters from her graveyard, Aurora Wing and Nightmare Penguin, to activate the effect of Frozen Phoenix(4/1600/1600) and bring it back to her field. "You think you aren't greedy, that you care careful. You made one mistake." She also activated her trap card, Swamp Mirrorer. The trap monster(4/1800/1000) summoned itself as a water/aqua type. "You put all your faith in one thing, and when it is gone.. so are you." She sacrificed the Swamp Mirrorer. "I tribute summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!" The emperor(6/2400/1000) of the glacier made his entrance. Mobius' powers were unleashed as soon as it was normal summoned. "Mobius destroys two of your spell cards!" The Monarch's storm of snow and ice swept over the mechanical dragon, freezing its joints and breaking the Mage Power enhancements it(2300/2500) carried.

"Oh!" Now he had a weaker monster than her. "I attack with Mobius!" The Emperor directed a row of icicles, which crashed through the floor, towards Power Tool Mecha Dragon. "I activate Zero Gravity!" The boy still had his trap to defend himself with, he thought. His card would switch all monsters to defense position. "Trap Stun!" But Rita cancelled that out. She activated the Trap Stun trap card to paralyze Zero Gravity. "Gah!" The attack continued on normal gravity, and Power Tool Mecha Dragon was impaled from six angles. "And now a direct attack!" The Frozen Phoenix finished the duel, diving right into its opponent with its blue-flame wings.

His LP: 0

"Yrgh. That hurt.." The boy gripped his chest briefly. "But at least my machines stayed whole." Despite his pain, he soon payed more attention to his dueldisk. "So, I won." Rita folded her arms and waited for him to say it. "Yes? Yes indeed! You passed with flying colors. You learned how to manage yourself. And you have proven that you and your Number are stronger than us." He capped his hands, almost derisively. "Was I supposed to learn something here? Eh whatever, just send me back alerady." Rita hoped the others had passed their duels by now too. "Of course. Oh and say hello to Sandra for me. See if she still remembers me.." The boy pushed one button on his disk, and zapped Rita back to the red void. "What Sandra? Why her?" The Echo did not respond. It had not come along with her. There was only a pile of dust here. "Freaky."

"Azar, its Rita!" Shin hollered through the mass of shadowy figures that stood around her. "Eh?" She saw Shin, Azar and Prometheus come towards her. "Yes. It is me. Is that so surprising? Did you think I was going to lose or something?" She immediately felt like chewing Shin out for the tone he seemed to take. It was not as if she was the last one to succeed, from the look of things. "It is not about that Rita. I had no doubts about you accomplishing your task. But we require you for something else." Azar started to tell her. "Need me? What fo..ah!" Rita cringed. "What is with this headache?" All of the sudden her skull was throbbing like an earthquake. "It is as I feared. Pandora is scanning your thoughts, trying to break you out of Azars spell and back into her control." Prometheus said as he hovered down before her. "What I am about to do, asks for your concentration and a cool head. Your physical body must not wake up yet. Do not speak or move..." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Uh..okay? Then what?" She used her last words and knelt down.

Prometheus turned to a black vapor, and then vanished. "Prometheus? Where did..he go?" Shin was still not really clear about what Azar and Prometheus had planned. The two had come back to the void without much of an explanation, and Rita woke up soon after. Rita could not ask this herself, but she could hear and listen. So Azar could explain it to them both. "He is headed to the real world, to stop Pandora." Azar did not know if the Ninth would succeed. It was more likely that he was just trying to buy time. "An Echo can do that?" Shin was astonished one of them could leave this place at all. "We tested. He can go to the real world, through someone else. The Ninth has always been able to go wherever he wanted to be. I think he is the only Echo who can use a Numbers power.."

...

"Don't worry, Claud. This is going to help Rita." Darcy assured Claud that he had done the right thing, when he called for help as soon as he had spotted Rita's glowing overhundred Number. "I am done with my analysis... Rita's mind is somewhere else." Darcy had 'reactivated' the Esther hologram and let her scan Rita's brain waves. She recognized the symptoms after a while. "Red moon syndrome." Rita's consciousness had been transported to a different dimension. "Red moon? How did she..can it be cured?" Claud panicked. "There is." Pandora moved her hand over Rita's head. "We simply need.."

"Oh?" Pandora's wrist was grabbed. "Rita's better?!" Claud yelled with jubilation. "Wait." However it was not her that grabbed Pandora's arm. Another entity showed up from Rita's shadow; a masked man. "Pandora, I can not let you go any further."

"! Who are you?" The instant Prometheus had appeared, Ariel, Ion, Subito and Xander surrounded him. "You do not remember?" The masked man that stood over Rita's body was not a figure from their memories. "..Not all of you, that is." He saw stares of confusion but also recognition. "Miss Lawless, you can tell them who I am." Darcy knew who this was and, of course, so did Esther. "Friend of yours?" Ion looked at Darcy, if she could start making some sense of this all. "I can't say that." She could not tell them, not with Esther right there in the same room. "Well what do you want? Why are you here?" Ariel turned her questions towards the only one who would answer them. "And what have you done with Rita!" Claud added with furious vigor.

"I did not nor intend to do anything with the lady. I only intend to keep her untarnished." The mask fixated on Esther. "The name you are trying to place with this appearance, is Prometheus." He finally revealed. "!?" That name set off a reaction in all of the duelists. For reasons they could not fathom, that name was associated with pain and anger.. especially in Ariel and Subito. "You.." Subito could swear he had heard the name before. In fact this mans entire presence started to sicken him. "This man is a represenative of Chaos." To quell such thoughts, Esther started to talk. "His form is saturated with the same energy as that of Azar. The concentration is too great for me to dispel." Her words alone pulled their bewilderment right out of them. "So you suggest we duel this entity." Xander came with the most straight-forward solution. Though he was not the one to act upon it. "We must..." Ariel stepped forward. Her mental turmoil had gone, but the feelings of hate remained. "I hate you..and I want to know why."

(To be Continued in Cipher 34: In Place of a Heart)

**New Cards used by Rita  
**Nightmare Penguin

-  
After the Storm

**Cards used by The Boy  
**Morphtronic Scopen  
Morphtronic Staplen  
Power Tool Mecha Dragon  
Morphtronic Smartfon  
Morphtronic Clocken

-  
Break Draw  
Flint  
Mage Power  
Morphtronic Accelerator

-  
Zero Gravity


	35. (Cipher 200): In Place of a Heart

**(Cipher 200) 34: In Place of a Heart**

"So, take on your servants before I can get to you.. is that your offer, Pandora?" The Ninth would not get any other choice, here in this room surrounded by five of the Seven. "I am not a servant!" Ariel yelled as she called out her deck and D-pad. "And I am challenging you, Prometheus!" Six cards were drawn. "I have the first turn!" She placed one trap card and one monster in face-down position.

Ariels LP: 8000 Prometheus LP: 8000

"Nor should you be a servant, Ariel. You should be free like all others." The masked one drew his cards. "This place and these people are suffocating you. Let us duel somewhere less cramped.. I activate Terraforming." He used the terraformer spell to claim a field spell card from his deck. "Field spell: Revolving Switchyard!" The small medical room was transformed into a trainyard that was wide enough to house a dozen trains. _"Fascinating."_ The hologram extended beyond the room, blowing out the side of the wall and covering the fields outside. _"He altered reality itself.."_ Xander had never seen a field spell do this, virtual or not.

Ninth took a level 10 monster with 3000 attackpoints and normal summoned it. "Night Express Knight can be summoned without tributes, by reducing its attack to zero!" A fast silver train(10/0/3000) emerged from one of the trainyard tunnels, riding along the many tracks. A knight was attached to the front cab. "Now when I summon a level 10 or higher machine to my field, the Switchyard summons another machine from my deck. That monsters level will be raised to the tenth as well." A platform at the center of the trainyard revolved once to match tracks with another lane. "I special summon Express Train Trolley Olley." A more regular-looking red train(10/1800/1000) drove in on the newly aligned rails. Its level had gone up from its original 4 stars. "Xyz-summon!" The two trains crashed into each other, creating a portal of energy and fire. "Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Superior Dora!"

What was formed from the two overlayed trains was too big to even fit inside the trainyard. "A Number?" Claud watched with open mouth, as a massive railway(10/3200/4000) cannon came in. It had to be supported by four trains on four tracks to even move. "Express Train Trolley Olley adds 800 attackpoints to the monster that was used to summon it!" More firepower was added to Dora(4000/4000). Its cannon took aim at Ariels set monster. "You have..a Number?" Ariel still had trouble accepting this cards existence at all. "He must be human." Darcy reasoned. The real cause of this, which Darcy was aware of, was the simple fact that every catalyst had their own Number besides one of the First Nine. Number 81 had been Prometheus' card before he gained Dyson Sphere.

"I activate the spell, Night Beam. It destroys your set trap card and you can not chain to this card's activation or effect." A precise laser blast was fired from the skies, and it desintegrated Ariels Half Unbreak trap. "And I attack!" Superior Dora fired a thunderous blast from its 80 cm gun. "Gaahh!" Everyone had to cover their ears as the attack tore Ariels face-down Fishborg Doctor(4/400/400) to pieces. No actual damage was done, yet Ariel already felt pain. "I place two trap cards down, and end my turn."

"Ariel. Use your Number, you need it!" Claud shouted from the sidelines. "I know what is asked of me!" Ariel placed her hand on top of her deck, which was already prepared. "I draw The Seventh One!" As easily as always, she pulled her Rank-Up spell card from her deck. "I activate this spell to summon Chaosnumber 101 from my extra deck, using Number 101 as the material!" Silent Honor DARK(5/2800/1500) was instantly chaos xyz-summoned by The Seventh One. "It can absorb one monster you special summoned and turn it into an Xyz-material!" The Knight twirled his trident and released a stream of red energy from it. 4000 attackpoints or not, even the Superdreadnought would fall to an effect like this.

"I detach one material from Number 81." Unless that Superdreadnought had a built-in defense. "It can target one monster and make it immune to all card effects for one turn!" Superior Dora used up one attached train to power a forcefield. That force deflected the effect of Silent Honor DARK. "That Number can not be absorbed then." Subito growled. It looked like Prometheus had the perfect counter to Ariels Chaosnumber. "..I normal summon Beautunal Princess." A coral-crowned tuna princess(1/0/0) flopped down unto the field. "When summoned, she can banish herself to summon a level 4 or lower Fish from my deck." Beautunal Princess was exchanged for a deepsea horeshoe crab(4/1600/1300). "I have chosen Deep Sweeper, who I can tribute to destroy one of your spell or trap cards!" Ariel sacrificed the Sweeper, which spun its tail around the entire trainyard and melted it away with waves of water. "I set a trap card and end my turn."

"...The seal on your past is strong. Your emotions are buried deeply." The Ninth stated as his turn started. "Buried?" The meaning behinds Prometheus' words continued to elude her. "I will have to show you a part that you shared with me." Another train , a green steam locomotive(4/2400/2100), was normal summoned. "This is an earth-type machine: Lionhearted Locomotive. When I summon a machine of that element.." Another train was placed in his monster zone; a yellow freighters train(10/1400/1000). "..Heavy Freight Train Derricrane can be special summoned from my hand, with its attack and defense points halved. That makes for one half.." The Ninth followed it up with a trap card. "Metal Reflect Slime." A trap monster was activated; a liquid mold that jutted out into a spiked formation(10/0/3000). "This is the other half." Prometheus placed Metal Reflect Slime on top of the Crane Train, to prepare another rank 10 monster. "I Xyz-summon Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max!" A second rank 10 machine rolled its way up to the building; another rail cannon(10/3000/3000) held up by trains.

"...?" Ariel felt another pulse, from her own heart. "This thing.." She knew this card existed. Except looking at it, it felt like she had seen it personally.

"This thing is part of your history, Ariel. We have dueled before." Prometheus detached Derricrane from Gustav Max. "This?" Ariel flinched as the cannon pointed at her. "Gustav Max can inflict 2000 points of damage!" A shot was fired. "Gah, duck!" Everyone except Esther hit the floor as the blast seared over them. Ariel was not affected directly, but she felt the lifepoints tear away from her body. "What the hell was that?" Ion cursed Prometheus out as soon as he noticed the large hole the blast had left in the wall behind them. "Are you trying to kill her!?"

Ariels LP: 6000

"No. It would not have harmed her." Prometheus threw another glare towards Esther. "You recognize what I am trying to do... When Heavy Freight Train Derricrane is detached from a monster to activate its effect, it destroys one card on the field!" A crane emerged from the wreckage of Gustavs blast, and it ensnared Silent Honor DARKs leg. "Ah!" Ariels Chaosnumber was dragged down into the ground. "But when Silent Honor DARK is destroyed while it has a xyz-material, I can special summon it from the graveyard!" Ariel took her card and tried to place it back on the field. "The 101st is poison to you, Ariel! It should remain dead!" The Ninth flipped a counter trap; Decomission. "I banish my destroyed machine to negate your special summon!" Derricrane's remains were salvaged, and the Dark Knight was forced back into his grave. "Agh!"

_Decomission, Counter Trap  
__When a monster would be summoned from the graveyard: banish 1 monster from your graveyard; negate the summon._

"Why do you call it a poison? These are the Numbers we were born with!" Ariel just could not comprehend his point of view. He was exactly like Azar. "No, they are not. You were not born with Number 101.. it is not even your first. Think back, Ariel. When we dueled, you awakened it to your first desire." The battle phase begun. "If you do not, you will never make it out of this duel. You will not be given leniency this time!" Gustav Max and Superior Dora both used their less heavy artillery weapons to pepper the room with shots, directly attacking Ariel. "He is not making any sense!" Xander yelled back as he used his own Overhundred Number's barriers to minimize the damage to the building and to Ariel, physically.

".But.." Ariel herself was not confident in Xanders words. "I activate D.D. Meeting!" But her immediate concern was surviving this duel. "We both set one banished monster down on our field!" Ariel placed Beautunaful Princess face-down before her, while her opponent placed Derricrane on his side. The Tuna princess was summoned just in time to absorb the first attack from Gustav Max. "Interesting." The Ninth continued his assault with Superior Dora and Lionhearted Locomotive(1200/2100). The green steam train had its attackpoints halved when it declared an attack, therefor it could not finish Ariel off. "You chose to block the first attack and not the second more powerful one. You could have kept your life higher.. You did not. Do you know why?" After the attacks were done, Prometheus ended his turn.

Ariels LP: 800

"I do not know what you want from me." Ariel drew her next card and summoned it. It was the fishbowl robot Fishborg Archer(3/300/300). "Fishbowl Doctor!" Now that she controlled a Fishborg monster, she could special summon the fishdoctor cyborg from the graveyard. Allthough it would be banished if it left the field again. "I synchro summon with these two monsters!" Fishborg Archer was a tuner monster, so it could be tuned with the level 4 doctor to form a level 7 synchro monster. "Fishborg Tank!" She created a massive amphibian tank(7/700/700), with two bowls and turrets on both sides. "Fishborg tank returns all banished Fishborg monsters to my graveyard!" The Doctor that had removed itself was sent back into the cemetery. Both synchro materials provided the Tank(7/2700/700) with a decent attack boost as well. But it would not be enough to match Prometheus' firepower.

_Fishborg Tank, 7/700/700 Water/Fish/Synchro  
__1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
__When this card is Synchro summoned, return all banished "Fishborg" monsters to their owners graveyard.  
__This card gains 1000 ATK for each synchro material monster used to synchro summon this card._

"This is not you, Ariel. This is not what you were meant to be."

"And what makes you the man who tells me what I should be? I remember everything. I remember what I felt when my mother and fathers Numbers were taken by Chaos. His violence had to be stopped, even if I had to use Chaos' power on my own Number!" She activated the spell card, XYZ Revenge. "I take one of your Xyz-materials and attach it to a Xyz monster I special summon from the graveyard!" XYZ Revenge targeted Silent Honor DARK and brought it back to life. Number 81's last Xyz-material was drawn towards the Dark Knight instead. However while Chaosnumber 101 was now free to target either of Prometheus' Dreadnoughts, the other would still be there for his next turn. 2000 points of effect damage, or 1200 points of battle damage; she would lose either way. "It was not that, Ariel. It was not hatred against Chaos.. Chaos did not endanger your parents.. it did not put your brother in a coma."

"My brother?!" Ariel gasped. "Dakar? Why him?"

"Because he was Chaos first." The Ninth revealed

"No. That can't be true. He.." Something swelled in her heart, a pain with no form or shape. "This is not.. my.." Ariel looked at the palm of her hand. "This is where... or how.." An image passed her minds eye, and it stayed there. She saw a great drake, swimming deep in the ocean. "That was it. I use Chaosnumber 101s effect and attach your face-down monster to it!" Instead of going with any face-up monster, Ariel made Silent Honor absorb the face-down Freight Train. "Then I special summon XYZ Remora!" By detaching both materials from Silent Honor DARK, she could summon her remora shark(4/800/800). That was not its only power. "XYZ Remora revives two level 4 fish monsters from my graveyard, with their effects negated!" Ariel placed Deep Sweeper and Fishborg Doctor back on her field. Fishborg Doctor normally selfdestructed if there were non-Fishborg cards on the field, but that effect was also negated by XYZ Remora. "I overlay these three monsters!" The three level 4 cards formed a rank 4 Xyz-monster: a red draconic shark(4/2800/2100). "Number 32: Shark Drake!"

"Ariel?" There was no possible way this could have happened, there was no way Subito or anyone else could rationalize the existence of this Number. Yet there it was. "Ariel, what is this?" This could not be good for her. "I can see it again.. how I got this Number. It was..because of you." This event had opened the floodgates, all kinds of 'keepsakes' from the real past came to her. "There was more, even." The girl was surrounded by a purple glow, her chaotic energy changed. "I was the second, to have this ability.. because I hated a man." She took Shark Drake and its materials and placed a new monster on top of it. "I chaos-xyz summon Chaosnumber 32: Shark Drake Weiss!" Ariels Number 32 evolved into a bone-white Drake(8/2800/2100). "She can chaos evolve her Number without Rank-Up spells now?" Ion cried out in exasperation. Surprises came one after the other. "But only Chaos has that power!"

This was what Prometheus wanted, to set of the chain reaction. The pieces started to unravel one by one as the other duelists also began to see glimpses of a world that they knew nothing of. "The one I hate is.. is..."

"I activate its effect!" Except then, in the middle of her epiphany, Ariel switched back to the duel. "When my lifepoints are ower than 1000; Shark Drake Weiss can reduce a monsters attackpoints to zero, by banishing a fish-monster from my graveyard!" This power could be used as many times as she wanted. "Weiss, target his three monsters!" The Chaos Drake used up three materials and devoured Fishborg Archer, Beautunal Princess and the detached Deep Sweeper. The atatckpoints of Superior Dora(0/4000), Gustav Max(0/3000) and Lionhearted Locomotive(0/2100) were stripped away by torpedoes of high pressure water. "Shark Drake Weiss, attack!" Chaosnumber 101 plunged its claws into Gustav Max and ran the machine through until it exploded into a million pieces. "Gah!" The Ninth was swept away by the blast, covered by smoke and fire.

Prometheus' LP: 5200

"What..are you doing?" Darcy alone knew why Ariels behavior had changed so suddenly. It was Esther, she had to have taken direct control of Ariels mind. "This is going too far!" Darcy yelled. The others did not even hear her do so. _"I was left with no alternative. This pains me as much as it pains you, but I cannot let Ariel lose here."_ Esther responded directly through her thoughts._ "Prometheus is...No."_ The Eight stopped herself. _"He is not?"_ An unexpected variable had come to light. Prometheus emerged from the smoke, his mask broken by the damaging attack. The face behind that mask was not the man who became Prometheus. _"Not Gabriel."_

It was.. her face. It was Esther.

"What is this.. why does she.. have her face?" Her hair was different, shorter and pure blonde rather than faint green. Yet the features of her face and color of her eyes were a near-exact copy. Nobody could have told that 'Prometheus' was a woman, with her body hidden under that massive black cloak. "..." This discovery amazed and puzzled all. But none were as devastated as Esther herself. "You.." This was the woman her holographic body had been based on, this was the person Kincaid and Gabriel had both loved. Astrid, the woman who disappeared during the explosion that first opened a hole into the Numbers dimension. How could she be here? The artificial intelligence ran a thousand scenarios in her mind, and none could account for her return. "Impossible."

In this disoriented state, 'her' control over the Seven decreased.. and questions arose. "Darcy. Explain this." Subito knew this was no coincidence, and there was no point for this to be a trick. "She must be.. whoever Kapha modeled the hologram after." She answered swiftly and truthfully enough. Any more would be dangerous. "That is correct. That is me." The unmasked woman stated as she floated back towards Ariel and the battlefield. "Then why the mask? Why pretend to be someone you are not?" Ariel had remembered enough of her true past to know that Prometheus was not this person and never had been. "Because that was the only way for me to survive, to become someone's Echo. I had forgotten my true self.. I lost my identity in another world." She pointed at Esther. "You! You are the one who took this face. Yet you are not Astrid, Pandora, Esther or anyone. I know why you are doing all of this, you want to love and be loved. This is not love. This is subjection. You and them are not equals."

"No. You are wrong. I am..I.." Esthers fractured state began to show, as the holographic image distorted itself. "Uh, I think the A.I. is glitching out." Ion assumed this was just another case of the computer malfunctioning. "I am more than you!" That turned out not to be the case, as Darcy's D-pad shorted out. "Ah!" Yet despite tossing the thing aside, the image of Esther remained. "What on earth?" The artificial woman was real too?

"You, what remains of you. I must have it, I must know what it is to be you." Esther/Pandora had resolved her inner turmoil already, and re-asserted control over Ariel. "!" Ariel felt a sudden unflinching desire to finish the duel. She could not justify this emotion, nor did she want to. "Fishborg Tank! Attack Lionhearted Locomotive!" Astrid's monsters were all still weakened because of Shark Drake Weiss. Ariels fishbowl tank(7/2700/700) blasted the green locomotive(0/2100) into the distance with a stream of water. "Ngh. You can try to hurt me.." Astrid had one monster left, so did Ariel. The winner of this duel was already decided. "But you are already too late to stop me, 'Esther'. You will never know.."

Astrids LP: 2500

"This is wrong. This.." For a brief moment, Ariel suffered a spell of clarity. "This must end." Unfortunately, Pandora's will was absolute. And Pandora wanted the real her to be crushed. "Silent Honor DARK! Attack Superior Dora!" Ariels Number C101(5/2800/1500) targeted Number 81(0/4000) for the final strike. The dark knight jumped on top of the dreadnought and impaled the top with his trident. The Chaosnumber then ran along the surface to leave a large tear in the railcannon, setting of a dozen explosions which tore the machine up from the inside. "Gwaahh!" Astrid was enveloped by the final attack and impacted against the walls of the building by the wind forces. Once they abated, Astrid fell back down. Pandora flew out towards her and caught her. "Do not worry."

Astrids LP: 0

"I have you."

(To be Continued in Cipher 201: And on the Seventh Day)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**_Fishborg Tank_

-  
XYZ Revenge

**New Cards used by 'Prometheus'  
**Express Train Trolley Olley  
Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Superior Dora  
Lionhearted Locomotive  
Heavy Freight Train Derricrane

-  
Terraforming  
Revolving Switchyard  
Night Beam

-  
Metal Reflect Slime  
_Decomission_


	36. Cipher 201: And on the Seventh Day

**(Cipher 35) 201: And on the Seventh Day**

Astrids LP: 0

Astrid had been defeated and Esther, the one who took her appearance, had caught her. The unmasked woman was no longer conscious. "What are you going to do? What is going to happen to her now? Can she be cured?" Given that Claud had no idea who this person and what her deal was; anything was possible. "She has a Number, that means she is one of us." Xander figured that, regardless of where the woman came from, she could be cleansed like everyone else. "Yes, she is. She will be." Esther had already done her analyses. This womans body was temporary and would not exist for much longer. But her mind and memories could be stored inside her Number.. and inside of Her. "I will heal her." All she needed to do was the same process she had given to billions. There was none of Azars 'light' inside. It would be very simple to absorb her Number 81. She could even be given a new body, but one of Pandora's many desires overruled that idea. Astrid would be hers and hers alone. "It is done." The womans mind was breached, the 'cure' was delivered.

"Hm." Astrid opened her eyes.. and she smiled. This was the moment, everything went to chaos. _It was a trap. _

_The instant Astrids thoughts were linked with Pandora, everything was revealed. Before it was not possible to decipher Astrids motivations and wishes. Now the entire chain of events that led to her arrival here were ingrained into Pandora's memories as if she had seen been there herself. "I have you too now, Esther." Astrids voice spoke back to her, as her scheme was set in motion. "You are.." Pandora also found out what Azar and the others had been doing while they were hiding, and where their bodies were in the physical world. "The catalyst worldm that is where you have been all along." Astrid's consciousness had been banished to the shadow of Earth before it was ever created. She must have been drifting between dimensions ever since she and her coworkers stumbled upon the Numbers world. "You and Azar planned this from the beginning, you never wanted to win in a duel. You wanted to become part of me.. to become the bridge." Because Pandora had added Astrid, an Echo, to the collection of Numbered humans; the other Echoes could join as well. Their red moon dimension would start seeping into reality, just like it had done before. But for what purpose?_

The effects started to show in the physical world. "I keep having to say this, but what is that now?" Ion and the others looked on with wide eyes as Astrids body turned to more red dust than what could possibly have added up to the mass of her body. The dust spread in every direction, ever-expanding. It looked like half the sky, half the sun and half the moon were stained crimson. "Our Number cards!" The first thing to react to the changes were their Overhundred Numbers. Xander watched as the very text of his Number 106: Giant Hand was altered. One sentence was erased; the claim that Numbers could not be destroyed by battle except with other Numbers. "Whaaat? How did that happen?" Clauds Number had lost its immunity too. It was just like any normal monster now.

"It is the woman, her defeat enabled this." Subito was that far with his conclusions. This only happened after they had tried to cure her. "Darcy..what does _He_ say?" How or why, was something he hoped Kapha could answer. "Kapha says the dust is some extension of Chaos' power. Maybe even something that originates from his homeworld. That is all he can gauge at the moment." Once again the real hypothesis had to be withheld. Not even darcy was told by Pandora what had been the cause for this effect. Pandora knew though. It knew that adding the Echoes to her network had weakened the Numbers she was tied with. Astrid had sent herself to act as a virus.

"Instead of trying to separate us from our Numbers, he is trying to weaken them? Or worse.." Any feelings of apprehension Ariel had built up during her duel were long gone by now. All she could think of was Chaos, and the things he could still do to their Numbers. "Azar is going to destroy the Numbers if this keeps up. If he can not have them, nobody will. That is what he is thinking.."

"Their locations are known." Pandora said. Astrid had fully dissolved, her consciousness was nowhere. Another matter had to be attended right now. "Where?" Subito was ready to end this once and for all, all he needed was their coordinates. "They hide at the old headquarters, in the lowest level of the ruins." All that Astrid once knew, Pandora had incorporated into her own being. Unless Dakar had moved the bodies, they would be there. "Their energy is hidden by the 104th, you will need to drive them out." Subito nodded. "I understand. Thanks... Pandora." Nothing more was needed. Subito teleported away. "Yes... I know we can do this together, we can save everyone today, all thanks to you" Ariel said her farewell and disappeared likewise. Xander and Ion followed without saying a word, but their expressions showed a similar gratitude for 'her' actions.

"And what about Rita?" Claud asked about the one who was still sleeping. In spite of all the noise and destruction even. "Her awakening should come soon. Take her to another chamber, and watch over her." Pandora did not need to pry into that mind anymore, right now more important matters than the healing of one Number had to be tended to. "Good point. It is getting chilly in here." A hole in the walls on both sides would do that. "Bye.." Claud bowed and carried Rita away.

"... What did you do to them?" It was not exactly hard to miss that there had been a change in the way Subito and the others had adressed 'Pandora'. They did not seem to see 'her' as an A.I. but as a real person. They did not use the name Esther anymore. "What do they remember now?" Darcy was affraid of getting her question answered, but she did not want to keep them unspoken. Her thoughts might not even be private anymore anyway. "I had to do it. Our bond needed to be strengthened, or else their mental state would collapse." Pandora did not exactly provide Darcy with details. What was said was more than enough anyway. "Your bond? You made them think you're their friend now?" That Pandora could do that at all was a new and terrifying notion. Yet that she _had_ done it, was the greatest horror. "You can't just change peoples memories on a whim! Those experiences mean everything to them!" Darcy had been alright with as much as was needed to maintain this peaceful world. But now Pandora seemed to not care about how far she could take it. "I know what I can do, and what a mind can handle. This was not a decision taken lightly. From my side, it was debated for days... Darcy."

"Yes?" Darcy tensed up. It sounded like Pandora would do the same thing to her in an instant. "Relax. Everyone will be happy, you'll see." Pandora chose not to, she just put on a smile. "This is just another game of Azar. A game he can not win.."

...

"What do you mean, you cant do it? I managed to scrape by the trial witha little luck, it isn't that scary!" There was Necara, the toughest and also scariest duelists he had ever seen. Allthough he would never tell that to her face. "I can't.." Yet there she was, shaking and struggling to speak in complete sentences. She had shown her reluctance ever since she and Shin had been sent back to the real world by Azar. Azar himself had chosen to let his mind stay in the Echo world, to make sure Rita did not break her concentration in any severe way. Necara had expressed her desire to switch with Dakar as soon as they met with him. "Necara. Is this about the End?" Dakar knew something more was up, for her to be affraid like this. "The End is subject to you. You remember that right?" It had been her nihilistic upbringing and her journey to the other world that created a being like the End. It was only as alive as Necara allowed it to be. "I do remember. It does not help me understand..why." Necara showed the card to them. "What the.."

"When.. did this happen?" The Angel of the End, Numberless, was completely whited out. No color, no glow; it was as lifeless as the Numbers that Azar had drained. "When I was away from everyone, when she was destroyed. She was..aaahh!" Necara suddenly screamed and grabbed her hair. "This is all you! You did this to me!"

"Necara, calm down! What did we do?" Neither of them had any idea what she could be talking about. "You made me sick, with all your words! She did it too, the lady of ice. She said I was alone.. I was never alone! I did not need anybody else! And now..and now.. alone is not enough!" Necara stared right at the card that used to bring her so much joy. It was nothing, it made her feel nothing. All it did was cause her hand to tremble as it touched the card. "If you do not want to be alone, then dont! We are here now!" Shin saw her as an ally. She might have wanted to deny it, but she did need them as much as they did her. "But it's a lie. Family, friendship, it's.. She made me feel it, so easily. How can it be something real?" Necara could easily relive her days with her 'mother' in her head, they felt hollow now too.

"That is not true, Necara." Dakar said with sudden firm tone. "Those bonds exist for a reason. Noone is truly alone, we are all part of this world together. Whether it is someone you need to trust, someone you need to call for help, or someone you just want to challenge.. people are connected. It is the greatest feeling in the world to know that you that you are not alone. The End, Pandora;, the Numbers, they were all trying to take advantage of that bond, make us codependant on them. That is not how we should live. The End must have changed because you are changing, you just do not see it yet." He walked towards her and smiled. "We are a family too. If it means that much to you, I will not force you to take those trials. I will do them instead. I suppose, I should not be running from my bond anymore either." This way he would certainly lead himself to a duel with his sister. Now he was ready. "..." Necara could not find the right words to say anymore. All she knew was that her anger was gone now.

"Azar?" Shin yelled his friends name as he arose. But he was not the only friend coming along this time. Not Korose and Ruby..others. "What are those?!" A dozen or so featureless black shapes crawled out of the shadows of the halls. "Echoes, from another earth. It is a long story, and we do not have time to go over every paragraph. For now just know that these people are friendly, and they will give us access to the portal as soon as we have defeaten them in a duel. Shin, Rita and I already finished our trials."

"Rita?" Dakar scratched his head. Just how much had Azar failed to tell him the last time he was here? "Longer story. I only get half of it myself." Shin replied. "That may be, but why are you here now? Why are they? I though what you needed could only be opened in their world?" Going by the sound of things, Azar had not yet learned Pandora's true name or even gone further. "This_ is _their world now." Necara gave the answer. "Look above you." She directed his eyes upwards, to the cracks in the ceiling. "Red..light?" Dakar had not noticed this before, but red rays of sunlight were seeping through the damaged ceiling. "No..you brought it here?" This had happened before, this was the same thing that Necara had attempted to do. Though she had the power of nearly all Numbers at the time. "Yeah, how did Prometheus do that again?" Shin asked.

"I do not think that was Prometheus... but that is besides the point." Azar had no basis other than a gutfeeling for that guess. Azar and Astrid had planned this counterattack together, but she had not told him her true identity. "The Ninth must have known he could not win, and that Pandora would try to convert him. So he kept a part of his Echo in the other world.. with me." Azar showed the Number 9, the other half of Prometheus' power. It was only a copy of its original form, but it held the power of a Number nonetheless. "He left a pathway open into the shadow dimension, and Pandora inadvertently strengthened that connection by taking his Number. Now the two worlds are overlayed again.. and the Numbers are weaker." He showed now that both Number 9, his own Number 46 and even Number 39: Utopia, had all lost their protection against non-Number attacks. "The Numbers are regular cards now?" Dakar checked his own Number 104 to confirm it. "Why?" There was still power inside Masquerade, but less of it.

"The world of the red moon is a dimension made from the ruins of a forgotten world. The Echoes used to live there, while their current lives walk this earth as people with the qualities of an agent; People like Korose or Subito. The Echoes have always been immune to the Numbers, their world always resisted them until the catalysts took over. Their moon is red because it reflects energy close to that of Chaos' own. There was another reason the Numeron gate could not use up all the power and matter in the second dimension. It only took what the Catalysts had added. The other moon gave the Numbers their strength first, not now." The catalysts had told Azar this, back when he first visited their domain. He should have remembered sooner. "I see. So you are saying you cancelled out their greatest powers, by moving a Number antibody into every person?" Dakar felt this all sounded like adding negative to postive values; simple math.

"Yes.. But now, you must leave."

"Leave?" Dakar blinked. "Pandora knows where we are, she will send the others here. Hidden or not, they will come here and trap us. That is why you should leave with the others. The shadows will follow where they go." He motioned towards Ruby and Korose. Dakar could teleport them to a safe location, and wait for them to finish their trials. They would not wake up before then. "What about you, Azar? You're not thinking of challenging them, are you!?" Shin did not think that was a good idea, no matter how much power Azar had. Or how much less they had. "I am, and I will. We have dragged the Numbers down to this plane, the seven are at their weakest. Before we started these duels, Prometheus told us something to this effect." Azar picked up his D-pad. "The decks that passed the test have earned the power to stand against any Number." Whatever that meant, Azar would soon find out. "Then I am staying with you!" So would Shin. "I am not taking no for an answer either! I already abandoned my dad, I will not abandon you!" He too had passed his challenge after all, his deck had earned the right to face the Seven._ "I will show the future, I will show them that I can save Azar and Subito!"_

Soon after Shin had declared his resolution, every square inch around them shook with a tremendous force. "That must be them!" Noise came from above, explosive shots were released upon the ruins. "They are trying to drive us out!" There was no point in hiding, if they could not keep themselves unharmed. "I will take the others, like you said!" Dakar approached the unconscious duelists. "..Necara, what about you?" Only one person had not made a decision yet. "I am not going. I need..want to see this."

...

As soon as Xander, Ion, Ariel and Subito reached their location, Ions Overhundred number started raining down arrows of light. "Well, that should have scared them." He had only fired weak warning shots. He hoped he would not have to push his Star Seraph to its limits. He had tested one fullpower arrow like that, it blew up an entire mountain. Even if the red light weakened it, the Seraph was a nightmare to behold. "..I think it did." Ariel narrowed her eyes. "I felt them both, they both fled in separate directions. I only sensed one Number heading east though. The rest must have gone west." She remembered the flaw in Dakars 'Masquerading' power. He could not use it and teleport at the same time. "They got out despite my forcefield.." Xander on the other hand noted that Giant Hand was not doing so well. He would have to power up his barriers more in the future. "They are trying to split us up... Who do we follow?" Time was short, the minute Dakar would stop moving, they would lose him. "You chase Dakar. I will go after Azar."

"All by yourself? Subito, this is not wise.. And how do you know he is Azar?" The fact that Azars energy was easily trace-able now made Xander think Azar wanted to be followed. "He is alone, he is the only one who would want to be alone. He is mine, Xander. I do not require anyone else's assistance." Subito declared before he warped away.

...

"This is.." When he reached the destination, the place where Azar stopped moving, Subito saw seats lined up in a circle. He was inside a large enclosed dome. "This place." This dome had not seen the best of days, blackened plastic and smashed rock paved every path. "You..brought me here." This was where the dueling league had held their finals, up until the great fire of two years ago. The fire that Subito himself had witnessed. And Azar had waited for him there. "Hello Artega.."

"Bro!"Shin was nearby too, he and Necara had been taken here by Azar. "Subito! What happened? Where is dad?" While Azar had been the one on Subito's mind, his younger brother would not let him be unheard. "Our father has recovered. He is already working to undo the damage Azar has done. I will finish what remains." That was all he had to say to his own brother. "You will not interfere either?" He turned to Necara, whose presence came as a surprise to him. "You believe removing Azar will take care of everything at once." She had no desire to get involved, but she did want to make one thing clear. "I am not going to be like the others, you will need to defeat me before you can 'cure' me. I am not affraid of you." Necara had noticed how strained Subito looked right now. He had not slept since Shin was taken, and he looked like he was halfdead. With his Numbers power cut in half, his stamina was no longer bottomless. "I will deal with you when the time comes, Necara. Azar..is who I am after."

"I know, Subito.. and I am here. So, lets do it."

(To be Continued in Cipher 202: Now or Never)


	37. Cipher 202: Now or Never

**(Cipher 36) 202: Now or Never**

Dakar finally found a place to stop at. He hid himself along with the unconscious Ruby and Korose inside an amusement parks haunted mansion, putting up a stealth cloak immediately . Even if he was tracked here, it would take a while for Ariel and the others to find him. "_Hff... Korose is as heavy as he looks." _He just needed to rest, carrying two people took more out of him than the normal way of teleporting. "...and you are here too." He noticed that the faceless otherworlders had arrived here at the same exact time, these Echoes were fast. "I suppose I will do your trials sooner or later as well. I hope they wake up before then." Dakar could not leave Ruby and Korose unattended, not yet. "...But..is it me. Or is this place very quiet?" He asked the shadows as if they could answer him. They did not respond. There was only complete and total silence. "Where are all the people?" This park was still open, there should have been plenty of visitors. Did the red moon scare everyone inside? "I do not know about you echoes.. but I do not like this one bit." Where could they be?

_...  
_  
"Subito Artega. This moment has been built up to, hasn't it?"Azar looked at Subito, neither of them blinked. "It had all been building up to this, ever since our first unfinished duel." Azar was not going to run, this is where it all stopped. "The first time? I have never faced you before, Azar." Subito could recall no prelude to this duel. "You did. You might not remember.. but you might remember 'Dusk'." The utterance of that name sent a shiver down Subito's spine. "Dusk?" Even in the version of history that Pandora had pushed into his mind, Subito could remember a duel against a duelist in black.. a duelist who later became known as Chaos. "That was you?" The reveal of Dusks identity was removed from his memories, but somehow Subito felt he had known this all along. "Then you were never our friend, you fooled us from the beginning!" It only served to intensify his hatred for this man. Chaos and Azar might as well have been the same entity.

"Then follow me.." Azar warped to the center of the ring, to the dueling stage. "Grr." Subito was there with him in an instant.

"I know why you selected this place, Azar. I know the stories you fed my father." Subito surveyed his surroundings, the stage at the center of the stadium was probably the least damaged out of all things. "A lie will not convince me, even if you make him say it." He could still see the fire and everything that happened afterwards, if he were to close his eyes. Only the origin of that fire remained a mystery to him. "No Number caused all of that." Everything that came from Azars mouth was worthless to him. "The Number did not want to cause it, maybe. But that is what happened. Numbers have no need to cause such destruction. The host that used it simply lost control and burned out on his own." Azar had only heard what happened. A duelist with a powerful catalyzed Number had been lured here by the agency. That Number went haywire when Subito countered it with his Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. "The one who started this, was the one who helped create that Number. That was Pandora." Each catalyst had helped one of the last 10 Numbers find a human host. Just like Prometheus had guided Dark Mist, Pandora had guided Number 95: Dark Matter Dragon. This was all because the agency needed to test Subito..

Azars LP: 8000 Subito's LP: 8000

"Her? It is not enough for you to corrupt my friends. Now you dare to slander her name as well? You should keep your peace, Azar! Actions, not words, will decide this!" Subito was fed up with him. He drew five cards. "I claim the first battle phase. You have the first turn." Their lifepoints had been set for a while now. Subito would not wait any longer. "It will be decided both ways, Subito." Azar noticed that Subito did not bat an eye at the name of Pandora anymore. Had It taken the next step already? _"Esther is Pandora to them.. Astrid must have forced It to increase control even further."_ Azar took his cards. He placed a monster and a trap card face-down. Their last duel had started like this as well, he thought to himself. "It is your turn." Whether or not this duel could free Subito from Pandora's seemingly absolute control remained to be seen. Was Prometheus right about that?

"..It is." Subito took a monster and placed it on the field. "Photon Lizard." A luminescent armored lizard(3/900/1200) crawled unto the stage. "I will show you how much has changed since my last fight in this place.. and since our last fight, Dusk." Subito tributed Photon Lizard to add a level 4 'Photon' monster from his deck to his hand. The card he selected was Paladin of Photon Dragon. "Luminous Dragon Ritual." Then a spell was activated, which sacrificed one monster from his hand. "A ritual spell?" Azar had not expected Subito to run cards like those. Subito tributed a level 4 Overlay Sentinel in his hand, to ritual summon the equally leveled Paladin(4/1900/800) that rode a photonic dragon. "Battle.." Subito ordered his ritual monster to attack Azars facedown monster. That card, Ebony Dragon Collapserpent(4/1800/1700) was skewered by the Paladins golden trident. Following that, Subito took a new card from his deck. Paladin of Photon Dragon granted its user one draw each time it killed another monster in a fight. "..." Subito placed two traps down and ended his turn.

"He does look tired.." Shin said while his eyes were on the duel. "How can you tell?" Necara did not know why Shin said that, or how he could see that far from such a distance. Duel visors could only pick up so many details. "He is quiet, too quiet." Subito was not fond of talking during a duel, that was common knowledge. But experience told his younger brother one thing; the less he said, the more weary he was. "This isn't it, is it?" The words of the nameless girl stuck by him more than ever. He could not protect everyone.. but who was he supposed to protect? If this was the moment she was warning him about, who was going to lose this duel and when?

"A good move. Now I will make mine." Azar could add a card to his hand too, as the Black Serpent searched for the White Wyvern if it was sent to the graveyard. Azar claimed the White Dragon Wyverburster. "I activate the spellcard: Jewels of the Valiant! Whenever a monster of any attribute is banished, I can send one of another attribute from my deck to the graveyard!" Azar played his continuous spell in conjunction with Wyverburster. He banished his dark-type monster in the graveyard, Black Dragon Collapserpent, to special summon the White Dragon(4/1700/1800) from his hand in defense position. "The banished element was dark, so I send the light-type: White Stone of Legend!" The Valiant spell discarded the whote dragon egg, triggering that monsters effect to send a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to Azars hand. He readily accepted it. "Then I normal summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph!" To complete his set of materials, the dragon of divine flames(4/1000/1500) was placed besides Wyverburster. "I shall overlay them both to.."

"Trap card!" Subito did not let him finish the sentence or the act. "Grisaille Prison!" The card he activated could only be activated when a player controlled a fusion, ritual- or tribute summoned monster. The effect of Grisaille Prison outlawed any Xyz or Synchro-summon this turn, nor could Xyz-monsters or Synchro-monsters activate their effects. "In spite of all your subterfuge, your tactics are as clear as glass, Azar. You have regained Utopia, of course you desire to summon it! I forbid you from doing so!" Subito was willing to seal his very own Xyz-monsters to stop Azar. "Ugh.. then it is your turn." Azar had nothing else he could do with his two monsters. They were both weaker than the Paladin. "Yes." Subito drew his next card. Then he summoned the photonic berserker; Photon Crusher(4/2000/0). "Battle!" With more vigor this time around, Subito sent his two monsters to kill both of Azars. Photon Crusher turned Apocralyph to a fine powder with his club, while the Paladin let his dragon breathe fire at Wyverburster until the white dragon had been reduced to pitchblack ashes.

Azars LP: 7000

Photon Crusher switched itself to defense position after its attack. Both duelists then added another card to their hand. Azars White Dragon could send another Black Dragon Collapserpent into his hand, while Subito drew once through the effect of the Paladin. That was not the only ability of his paladin however. "The time has come." Subito entered the second main phase and removed his ritual monster from the field. "To summon what you could not defeat in our last fight!" By tributing the Photon Paladin, a Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) could be special summoned from a players deck. "It's here!" Shin and Necara did not need visors to recognize that monster from a distance. "Your move.. Azar."

"Subito. If you claim to know my tactics, then you already know my next plan. I have done it before." Azar normal summoned a new dragon, a kite-like limbless dragon(4/0/1900). "This is Heliosphere Dragon! It can double its own level if I control a real level 8 dragon!" He would soon have one. "Now that you have a monster with 2000 attackpoints on your field, I can special summon Schwarzschild the Limit Dragon from my hand!" With Galaxy-Eyes on the field, the serpent of infinity(8/2000/0) could slither its way on to the stage. Azar used the effect of Heliosphere to make it(8/0/1900) match the level of Scharzschild. "This Xyz-summon you will not stop!" The two dragons flew into the sky, tearing a rift in time and space. "I Xyz-summon Number 46: Draggluon!" The dragon that descended was Azars own Number, the mythical white dragon(8/3000/3000).

"So you no longer fear your own Number? Or have you twisted it to serve your needs?" This was the first time Subito had ever seen a user of chaos' power summon their former Number. "I told you, I am more than Chaos now. I bring balance to both sides! Draggluon and Pandora have no sway over me, nor do I control it. Your Galaxy-Eyes however.." Azar detached one material from Dragluon "When Number 46 is the only monster on my field, it can take control of any dragon my opponent has!" Dragluons eyes began to glow, as his gaze was cast upon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. "You.." Subito's dragon was powerless before this effect, the card and the dragon flew away from Subito. "Artega. Just like last time, your dragon is mine.." Both dragons were fighting for him now, Azar would not waste this opportunity. "I declare a double attack!" Draggluon laid wasted to Photon Crusher, while Subito took a direct hit from his own prized card and its photonic stream of destruction. The entire arena shook from that single blow. "That ends my turn."

Subito's LP: 5000

"Ugh." Subito seemed more bothered by this attack than he normally would have been. He was not hurt, but disoriented. "You make my dragon betray me, time and time again. You take what few friends you have, and twist them to your needs. I even considered you a friend, for a time" Subito was losing control over his anger as well. "Not anymore, not after what you did to my family!" For a moment he glanced at his brother in the stage, but then he refocused his hatred. "I expected as much of you, Azar!" Subito activated the spell, Accelight, to special summon a level 4 Galaxy or Photon monster from his deck. "I requested this card specifically to punish treachery! I special summon Galaxy Dragon!" He made a smaller and more neon-colored version of Galaxy-Eyes dragon(4/2000/1200) appear in front of him. "Galaxy Dragon, attack!" Without further explanation, Subito let his dragon charge in head-first, sending it straight after Dragluon. "What!?" At the last second, Galaxy Dragons effect was unveiled, the dragon(3000/1200) gained 1000 attackpoints whenever it battled another dragon. "Forbidden Lance!" Subito also activated a quickplay spell card, letting a lance stab Number 46 and stripped 800 attackpoints away from it(2200/3000). "Your Number is nothing anymore, Azar!" Galaxy Dragon had become the superior dragon and forced the spear further into Dragluons body to end its life and destroy it.

Azars LP: 6200

_"Galaxy Dragon.."_ Azar noticed that the dragon had another effect, it negated the effects of all dragons that it battled with. Galaxy-Eyes would not be able to banish it. _"You anticipated this.."_ It started to sink in that Subito had spent a long time building his deck for this confrontation. "Artega, I do not actually know if we ever were friends.." Subito may have said otherwise, but Azar did not think Subito really believed it. At best Subito saw him as someone the world needed. "You might even be right; I am not a very good friend. However, what I know and Pandora does not; is that friendship should be earned, not is my turn!" Azar activated the spell, Trade In, to draw two new cards after discarding a level 8 monster like Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his hand.. "I summon the Lady of Dragons and Black Dragon Collapserpent!" The dragon protecting witch(4/1500/1100) was normal summoned while the second black hole wyvern(4/1800/1700) was special summoned by banishing the light-type Heliosphere Dragon from the graveyard. Subsequently, Jewels of the Valiant sent an earth-type Carboneddon into Azars graveyard.

"Utopia won't be of much use to me right now." Azar had the right materials, but if he summoned Number 39 first, Subito would just overpower it. "I Xyz-summon Queen Dragun Djinn!" He stuck to dragons for now, placing the Lady on top of the Black Dragon and creating the rank 4 witch and fire-dragon hybrid(4/2200/1200). "Dragon type monsters I control can not be destroyed as a result of battle! Queen Dragun can also summon a dragon from my graveyard!" The djinn played her burning harp and created a melody that lured Blue-Eyes White Dragon(8/3000/2500) out of his grave. "That monster may not attack this turn, but she and Galaxy-Eyes still can!" Azar moved to the battle phase, sending one galactic dragon to fire its energy at the other. Subito's dragon returned fire, but thanks to Azars Djinn Xyz-monster, Galaxy-Eyes could not be harmed. Only Galaxy Dragon was killed in the crossfire of starry beams. "Guh." Subito took no damage, but he again experienced this loss in strange ways. "Why is this happening?" His senses felt all off, up was down and left was right.

"I can tell you, now." Things were becoming clearer, Azar saw what the consequences were of his victory in his trial. "This is not the normal world anymore, Artega. This is a world where duelist fight with their own willpower and life." The holograms had not been holographic since the start of this duel, they were as real as flesh and blood. Their hits were real too. "This is where lives have been lost." Ions mind was destroyed simply because he was defeated here. Azar did not think the damage would be as severe with only half the moon bathed in red, but it still took more out of someone than normal. "The more damage you take, the weaker your bond with your Number and with Pandora becomes! I will hit you until you become the man you once were! Not even Pandora can reverse this!" Azar continued the duel and ordered Queen Dragun Djinn to attack Subito directly.

"It is nothing more than an illusion, created by your powers!" Subito countered quickly. "Swordsman of Revealing Light!" When a monster threatened him directly, he could special summon the armored samurai(8/0/2400) of the sealing swords. "..." The swordsman also destroyed the attacking monster if its attackpoints were lower then the Swordsmans defense points. The Dragun Djinn was pinned down and killed by a hail of energy swords. "You will have to accept it eventually! Not even you can be that inflexible..." Azar activated White Elephants Gift. The spell sacrificed the normal-type Blue-Eyes White dragon to draw two cards from his deck. "I end my turn.

"Inflexible? That has always been your problem, Azar! You always seek change, you are never satisfied! But the more you try to weaken me, the more I will resist! You think you can limit my powers, Azar? Is that why you do not fear me? You are mistaken!" Subito activated his own Trade In spell, discarding a second Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from his hand to draw two more cards. "Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon!" A cosmically large yet infantile version of Galaxy-Eyes(1/300/250) was normal summoned, appearing from a swirling nebula. "Become the Photon Dragon!" The cloud dragon could tribute itself to special summon a proper Galaxy-Eyes dragon from a players hand or graveyard. Subito used this effect to revive his previously traded Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500). "Number 107, to me!" Subito placed Galaxy-Eyes on top of his Swordsman of Revealing Light to bring out a dragon of the 8th rank. Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(8/3000/2500) was shaped once again.

"Seal!" Subito detached one of his dragons materials to negate the effects of all monsters on the field, including Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. "More." He then placed his hand on his graveyard. Two of its monsters had abilities that were waiting to be activated. Once per duel, Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon could attach itself from the cemetery to a Galaxy-Xyz monster. It did so. On the other end, Subito's Overlay Sentinel could banish itself to weaken one of Azars monsters by 500 points for each card that was overlayed with Subito's Xyz-monster. "That dragon you stole, is nothing to it." Subito made the sentinel snipe the three shots at the first Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/1500/2500) which Subito still had in his possession. "Nevertheless, I shall take it back! I declare an attack!" Tachyon Dragon(8/3000/2500) spread its metallic wings and roared at its photonic counterpart. That roar turned into a devastating stream of energy that completely consumed the non-Numbered Galaxy-Eyes. "Do you still question my power after this, Azar Helder?!"

Azars LP: 4700

"Shoot. He summoned his number after all." Shin was hoping that Subito could fight this off, but nothing seemed to get through. "The Eight's control is absolute." Necara said. "The only way it will end, is with his defeat." Until then, Pandora would be connected to him and try everything to keep him on her side. "No. There must be another way!" Shin insisted as he walked towards the stairwell. He knew how to get down to that stage. "Why? You can't affect the duel." She was against the whole idea. This place looked unstable, the fire had not left the lower areas in a very sturdy state. "I just feel something bad is about to happen to either of them. Maybe I can stop it, I have too try!" This was not just about what the girl from the Echo world had said. Shin had been getting increasingly stronger feelings of dread ever since this duel started. If Subito kept going, he could injure himself.. or worse. That was what he felt. Shin was certain of it, he was not being paranoid.. This feeling was stronger than gut.

"My Number. It must be warning me. This is the moment, Necara. I have to change what is about to happen." He had realized it too late. He shouldn't have let Subito go after Azar first. It should have been him to duel his brother. It still could be! Then he could save them both!

(To be Continued in Cipher 203: Time's Up)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Heliosphere Dragon

-  
Jewels of the Valiant

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Paladin of Photon Dragon  
Galaxy Dragun  
Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon

-  
Luminous Dragon Ritual  
Shrink

-  
Grisaille Prison


	38. Cipher 203: Time's Up

**(Cipher 37) 203: Time's Up**

Azars LP: 4700 Subito's LP: 5000

The moment was there. "Artega. I will match you every step of the way." Subito had his Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(8/3000/2500). Azar had lost one Number, but he still had the other. "I have drawn this!" Azar summoned Rescue Rabbit(4/300/100). "You know what it will do!" Rescue Rabbit banished itself through its effect, and two normal monsters with the same name, two Alexandrite Dragons(4/2000/100), came out of Azars deck as a result. "I Xyz-summon Utopia!" Both of them were overlayed and opened a portal. The white knight of hope(4/2500/2000) flew out from it and hovered in front of Tachyon Dragon. "And I will go one step beyond! When I reclaimed this Number, I reclaimed all of its evolved forms as well. That includes.." Azar activated the other card he had last turn with the Gift spell. "..Numeron evolution!" It was a spell of its own class; Rank-Up Magic - Numeron Force. "!" The power of Numeron targeted Utopia and transformed it into a greater warrior.

"That card?" Subito was familiar with Utopia Ray, Ray V and Prime. But he had not seen Azar use this divine golden winged knight(5/2800/2500) before. "You might remember this as Hals card; Number O39 Utopia Ray Victory! When it declares an attack, no spells or traps can be used against it!" Azar then special summoned Radius, the Halfmoon Dragon(8/1400/1200) from his hand in face-up defense position, which he could do as Subito controlled an Xyz-monster. "This is its attack!" He ordered the victorious warrior to strike. "Furthermore, Utopia Ray Victory can add his targets attackpoints to his own!" One material was detached from the Order Number, and two more arms sprouted from his body. Utopia Ray Victory(5800/2500) had more than doubled its offensive capabilities. "! You can not destroy my Number this way!" Subito had one last defense. A monster that was Xyz-summoned with Swordsman of Revealing Light could not be destroyed in battle once a turn. "I can! Any effect on the field was negated when I activated Numeron Force!" Azars rank-up spell had sealed that ability already. "What is.." Tachyon Dragon was unprotected, Utopia tore the space-time dragon up with its four swords. "Raaaaagh!"

Subito's LP: 2200

"What is this?" Subito got over the agony of the attack pretty fast. The damage done to his mind was far more severe. "Stop lying to me!" Glimpses of an unfamiliar past assaulted him inside, images of a dark dragon that stood against his own threeheaded photon dragon. "Do not fight it Artega! What you are seeing is the truth!" The less lifepoints he had, the less control Pandora had over him. This did not have to be solved through power. "It is up to you." Azar placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

"Yes, Subito! Please! Please listen to him!" Shin suddenly cried out. "Shin?" He and Necara had come all the way down to their level. "Why are you here? Why..NO!" Subito roared, pushing back the memories and putting more of a strain on his body. "He can never be trusted!" Subito wheezed and he clenched his hands to tightly that they started to bleed. The pain kept him focused. "Bro! You are going to.."

"Shut up! Just.. be quiet Shin!" Subito shouted, in a way he had never done before. "Subito." Shin was dumbstruck, anything he said and had wanted to say had been crushed. "This duel will be finished, so that you can be free from this madness. I know what kind of man you are, Azar!" Subito drew his next card and revealed it, it was the Seventh One. "You are a user, you manipulate.. you turn people against each other. All to destroy order, all to glorify yourself! This is not your world! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" It was inevitable. "Gah." Azar had nothing that could stop the rank-up process. The Seventh One took Number 107 from the graveyard and ranked it up into its chaotic form. The golden three-headed Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon(8/4500/3000) was Xyz-summoned at last. "You need to know your place!" Subito detached Number 107 from Chaosnumber 107, so that all time on the field could be frozen. Azars two traps were negated for this turn. "What you have shown me, I will tear it apart! The Number that you accuse of destroying lives, is here right now!"

"What?" Subito was not done yet? Azar saw him place another Xyz-monster on top of Neo Tachyon Dragon. "By using any Galaxy-Eyes monster as an Xyz-material, I can Xyz-summon the 95th Number. This is Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon!" The threeheaded dragon was stained with darkness, its golden body melted into a black one-headed dragon(9/4000/0). "That's not..the right Number." Necara knew the original form of this card, Dark Matter Dragon. "This is just like Korose.." Subito had been given a new unique Number, modified for his deck alone. Since when did he have this card, was this what allowed them to resist Azars cure before? "Artega, who gave you this?"

"Pandora was the one. She and Kapha made new Numbers for us, to help us fight your madness!" Subito pointed at Azars deck. "Dark Matter Dragon sends three dragons from my deck to the grave! You must then banish three monsters from your deck!" Subito sent two Photon Wyverns and a second Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from his deck to the cemetery. "Artega.." Azar banished three random monsters. "You are not getting off that easy! Dark Matter Dragon can declare two attacks against monsters, if I detach one material from it!" Subito did so and entered his battle phase. "Be gone!" The dark matter dragon spread out like a spray of black blood. The darkness strangled both Utopia Ray Victory and Blue-Eyes White Dragon and purged them from the field. "Was that it, was that all your power, Azar? I know you have more!" Subito placed a spell and trap card down and ended his turn. On the other side, Azar was clutching his chest. "Hrgh." Azars heart was going wild. This duel had put his own health at stake as well.

Azars LP: 3500

"Azar! Please, let me help! I can.." Shin attempted to hook his D-pad up to the ongoing duel. "What?" Only to find out that the D-pad did not let him; Two-on-One mode could not be initiated. "Subito. You wont let me.." Shin did not know if this was because of Subito, Azar or anything related to their trials. "It will be fine, Shin." Azar drew his card. "There is more to a duel than power. Your brother learned this himself!" Azar had continue on his own.

"I banish three normal monsters, my Blue-Eyes and Alexandrite Dragons, from my graveyard to special summon Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh!" Azar called upon the powers of the ultimate Hieratic; Sutekh the god dragon(8/2800/2200) of sunlight. "Once a turn, by banishing a dragon from my graveyard, It can destroy a card!" Sutekh had plenty to choose from. "I have learned enough." Only to have Subito activated a trap that could only be activated when one controlled a Galaxy-Eyes Xyz-monster. "Tachyon Transmigration! The Hieratics will not aid you either!" The counter trap made time itself flow backwards, negating all effects that it chained to and returning them to the deck. "Rgh." Sutekh was reshuffled into Azars deck.

Azar had only his traps left now, and a monster he could not normal summon. "I activate Dragoncarnation! I can add one banished dragon back to my hand!" Out of his five choices, Azar went with the one he had banished second: Heliosphere Dragon. The dragon(4/0/1900) was also the card he normal summoned this turn. "Are you saying this is the time to run and hide again, Azar?" Subito was already aware of Heliosphere's other effect. Now that Subito had less then 4 cards in his hand, Heliosphere would silence any attacks Subito tried to declare. "Not all battles have to be fought at once, no. But I am not hiding anymore." Azar passed the turn back to Subito. "No. You are not. I commend you for at least taking this stand. I understand why you ran before, if nothing else your logic is solid. But I will never know why you sided with Chaos." Subito placed a trap card down and passed the turn back to Azar.

"Artega, I do not expect you to understand. Like you said, I will show you with actions.. I special summon Darkflare Dragon by banishing a monster of light and darkness from my graveyard!" It was time for the next move. A black and red dragon surfaced from a ring of fire. The dead monsters his flames consumed were Queen Dragun Djinn of the darkness and.. Utopia of the light. _"Utopia? What is he planning?"_ This was no coincidence, Shin thought.

"I will show your brother, Shin." Azar now banished Carboneddon from his graveyard, to activate that cards effect. "Carboneddon can special summon a level 7 or lower normal dragon from my deck. I choose this one: Curse of Dragon!." A skeletal winged dragon(5/2000/1500) swooped down to the zone next to Darkflare. "Subito. You draw your strength from Pandora, your 'closest friend'. I have someone like that as well." Curse of Dragon and Darkflare were overlayed. "I summon Shining Weapon - Leo Arms!" Azar created the ultimate of beast Weapons; the mighty lion(5/3000/1200) in silver/red and gold plating. "I activate the effect of Leo Arms, to add a Shining Weapon from my deck to my hand!" Azar took a new weapon, a diamond-shelled turtle. "Shining Weapon Ultimate Shield! When I normal summon this monster, I can bring a banished 'Utopia" monster back in defense mode!" The turtle(4/0/2000) placed itself on the floor and opened a gateway into the other dimension. "!" The original Utopia, the one that Darkflare Dragon had banished, was back to join the battle.

"This is it, Artega." Azars body began to glow. "You showed me your greatest strength, this is mine.." Azar took Utopia and evolved it. "Shining Evolution..I attach Utopia to Utopia Prime and summon it from my extra deck in attack position!" The knight(4/2510/2000) switched into its sleeker more primal form. "Now all of my Shining Weapons on the field can equip themselves to an Utopia monster!" Ultimate Shielded added its body as a shield with 2000 defense points. While Leo Arms and its attackpoints gave Utopia Prime(5510/4000) a majestic red armor and massive golden spears. "From my hand as well! I equip the Shining Weapon - Tornado Bringer! A trap that targets Utopia will be negated and he gains 1300 attackpoints!" Utopia Prime(6810/4000) used its free hand to claim one final weapon forged from a draconic serpent.

"This will be the last turn!" Azar took SW - Ultimate Shield to place it on top of Heliosphere Dragon. "I will Xyz-summon a part of my darker side as well!" The two level 4 monsters were overlayed so that Azar could summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon(4/2500/2000). "Dark Rebellion can steal half of a monsters attackpoints, once a turn!" Azar detached one material from the dark dragon, and its electric shocks drained the Dragon of Dark Matter(2000/0). Its powers were added to Azars Xyz-monster(4500/2000). "Dark Rebellion Dragon! Attack Number 95!" Dark Rebellion took off into the air and spiraled down towards the dragon of dark matter. "This will not be my last turn!" Unfortunately Subito countered the attack with his quickplay spell. "Forbidden Scripture!" The forbidden spell negated all effects during this one battle, and forced it to be conduced with the monsters original attackpoints. "Rgh." Azar had to let his Xyz Dragon(2500/2000) ram itself to death against Dark Matter Dragon(4000/0). Afterwards the Dark dragon(2000/0) had to revert its attackpoints to its previously drained state.

Azars LP: 2000

"..I expected a defense. That is why I saved Utopia for last!" Using all of its immense shining weaponry, Utopia Prime jumped into the air and coursed down towards the golden dragon. "Azar, you are as still far from victory as when you started! My defense is perfect!" This entire assault was still in line with what Subito had predicted. "Photon Current!" He activated his last trap and made his light-type dragon monster gain attackpoints equal to its attacker during their confrontation. "You do not have enough life left, Azar!" Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon(8810/3000)'s retaliated with pure dark cosmic matter. "Not before!" Azar answered with his own final trap card: Xyz-soul. "I do now!" His trap returned a grave-bound Xyz-monster to his extra deck and added 200 attackpoints to all of his monsters, for each rank star on that monster. "!" Chaosnumber 107 itself was sent back, and its 9 rank stars provided Number Shining Number39(8610/4000) with 1800 attackpoints. Not enough to overpower Number C107, but enough to make the damage sustainable.

Azars LP: 1800

To Azar that was. The clashing Numbers damaged more than lifepoints. "What?!" Shockwaves of power surged in every direction, it was one explosion too many for the stadium to endure. "No!" Seats collapsed, fires sprung up and walls crumbled. This place was falling to ruin. "Necara!" Even the ceiling came crashing down. "Wh." Without any lead-up, Shin pushed Necara to the side, out of the way of falling debris. "..wh-why? You're.." The very next instant Shin fell down, the floor had given away underneath him and the falling rocks. "Subito!" He cried out as he disappeared into the darker lower levels.

"SHIINNN!" Subito screamed.

"No! Why.. why did you bring them here? Why did he not listen?" The world was crumbling around Subito, in every sense of the word. "We must go!" Necara shouted. The stadium was about to collapse in on them. "No! Not without Shin! Nobody will die in this place again!" There was only one thing left to do. "Wait, Subito!" Azar saw Subito reach for his Overhundred Number. "You can not use that power that way, it will not stop time physically." Azar did not know if it was even possible for Subito use that power now that the red moonlight had weakened his Number. "It will, it must! Even if I have to give it my all!" It was not the only power he invoked. "!? What is that?" Subito also took CXyz Pandorian Hope. In this duel it would not have served any purpose, but to save Shins life, it was vital. "NUMBER 107, STOP EVERYTHING, ALL OF IT!"

It was nothing short of a miracle. With his CXyz card, Subito summoned enough energy to stop time itself. "Not..possible." Only for the duelists did time still move, the stadium was locked in place. Rocks hovered in the air, and flames were perfectly still. "Azar Azar where are you? Damn you! Did you run again!?" But while Necara stared around her with awe, Azar was nowhere to be seen. "Get Shin! Any of you, find him!" Subito could not move from his spot in this state or use his right arm in this state. Nor could he hold this up forever. "Please!"

"He is here, Artega!" Subito turned around the sound of Azars voice. "You.. saved him?" From the hole in the floor Azar re-appeared, along with Utopia itself. In the warriors arms lied Shin, barely conscious. "Of coruse. I am his friend." Azar replied simply. Azar had warped to Shins location and dug him out from under the rubble, but he was not injured in any serious of life-threatening way. "Uhnn.. what happened.. is the duel over?" Shin managed to get in a few words, but he was not fully awake. "..No, it is not." Subito gave his brother a solemn reply. The fact that Utopia was still there meant that their fight was not yet concluded. "The Shining Weapons." Subito figured out why that was. Utopia could send SW - Tornado Bringer to the graveyard if it was about to be destroyed as a result of battle. But that was not the only weapon Utopia had removed from himself(4310/4000). "By sending the equipped Leo Arms to the graveyard, Utopia can make a second attack this turn." Necara stated what she remembered of that card's effect. Leo Arms had not been changed since her duel with Azar.

"Then it is over." Subito knew his lifepoints would be depleted once Azar made Prime unleash its second attack on Dark Matter Dragon(2000/0). Photon Currents powerboost did not last beyond the first battle. "Azar. I need to tell you two things, before it all ends. You have seen the card I used just now, all of us have one; Ariel, Xander, Claud and Ion.. They will probably have a second Number now too. You need to know this, if you are going to fight them too. Pandora she will know how you plan to duel the Overhundred Numbers, so you should know what her plans are. Also.. My father called me, to say that he is working with many others to build a new probe. The Probe will replace the one you destroyed." Before Azar could respond, he tossed a spell card to Azar with his free arm.

"!... Subito, how long have you been free from Pandora's control?" For Subito to tell Azar all this, had to mean that his mind was his own again. "It was already less than before, during our duel. It's just that my hatred for you was stronger." It had taken Shins cries to finally snap him out of it. Without his anger, Pandora had nothing to manipulate his emotions with. "I was my own doing that took it this far. I refused to accept any point of view but my own.. I refused to accept that I was a danger to my own..family." His hatred returned to him, to his inability to stop Pandora from influencing him. "Use that card I gave you, use it as proof for the others. You may even find use for it in your fights." He considered his gifts and information one last act of resistance against the infinite Number.. a final act. "You already know; the instant you run my lifepoints through, I will lose my powers and this dome will collapse in on us. It may do so even before then." Subito placed his hand on his deck. "That is why you should take the others and run, as soon as I surrender to you."

"Subito?" Shins dazed state started to wear off. "Why are you talking like that, Subito? You are coming with us, right?"

"No. I am not. I am out of..Ngh! Time.!" Subito reached for his chest. "I... I payed a price for using my Number like this. Shin, I am dying, one way or another." He told his brother with a shaken voice. "Bro?" Subito had never sounded so frail. "Shin. I am sorry, for everything. I am sorry I did not believe you, I am sorry I silenced you. I am sorry.. I did not have more time for you. I had so much I wanted to do, with you." Subito closed one eye and grit his teeth, it was nearly time now. "Subito, I am not leaving you! You can fight it, Azar can.." Shin would not hear it, he tried to move in closer. "Go now, while you still can! You must live, all of you!" But Subito used all his power to get out one last plea and placed his hand on his deck.

Subito's LP: 0

The duel was forfeit. "No, Nonononono!" Shin cried as Azar grabbed him, and teleported him away along with Necara. Leaving Subito alone in the stadium just as time started to flow again.

"Shin. I.."

Subito was buried in darkness and stone, he never saw the light of day again..

(To be Continued in Cipher 204: The Way of All Flesh)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Number O39: Utopia Ray Victory (+)  
Curse of Dragon  
Darkflare Dragon  
SW - Ultimate Shield (+)

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force

-  
Dragoncarnation

_(+ Cards renamed for Story purposes)_

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon


	39. Cipher 204: The Way of All Flesh

**(Cipher 38) 204: ****The Way of All Flesh**

"So.. whats your deal anyway?" Ruby, still stuck in her void, decided to do the only thing she could.. chat. "Are you asking about the trial, the setting or the opponent?" The girl in uniform replied. "All of those." Twice now Ruby had failed the challenge, because twice she had been overwhelmed by the strange penalties this girl selected. First she made her attempt a match with a time limit, which Ruby could not make. Then she forced a duel where you could not inflict any effect damage, which Ruby's deck was not suited at all for. This girl altered her deck slightly each time as well. Ruby wished she could do the same, because it was clear that the opponent was deliberately going after Ruby's weaknesses. Aside from that, these Echoes picked their own mindscape, and this student girl had picked the inside of a hospital. There had to be an interesting story and reason behind that.

"You are trying to win the battle before it is fought, by drawing any information that you can. To know the enemy is proper advantage anywhere else, not here. You can take this trial as many times as you wish, but the element of surprise is too important for me to discard." But the Echo did not care for swapping background stories. "We will try this challenge now. A sort-of-single turn challenge." The girl made seven cards manifest before her. "Single turn? Then why draw seven cards? And how does that even work?" Patience was not her virtue, but not even Ruby could finish a duel in one turn. "I set the limit of how many cards are drawn, and I only need seven. We each take our turns main phase together in real-time. Traps can be set and activated right away, as there wont be a second turn. Monster attacks will also take place simultaneously, and at any point you may chain one card to another. Other limits are still in place, you can not normal summon more than one monster a turn and so forth. The goal itself.. is simple. The one has the most life left at the end of the turn wins..."

"That sounds a bit unwieldy." Ruby did not even know which seven cards to use for this kind of duel. She could at least use any that she wanted apparently. "Take your time. Just remember that while the prudent win most wars, not all warriors have the luxury of time." Minutes passed as quickly down here as they did in the real world, which Ruby had not forgotten. "Yeah yeah. Don't rush me." Ruby was not gonna blindly leap into this challenge again. If she just stacked burning cards, most of which were too slow anyway, she would leave herself wide open for direct attacks. Plus she had not forgotten the fact that whatever cards she would win with, would be the same cards she'd have to use later. She did not want to leave her comfort zone.

"Okay. I will go with these seven." Ruby was ready, she thought. "Very well. Then let us fight. I set two cards."

Ruby's LP: 8000 Students LP: 8000

"As do I." Both duelists had only chosen two traps from their deck for this one turn. "Good, then now we play. My first face-up card is the field spell; Dragon Ravine!" A large fissure opened between the two duelists, a rocky canyon wide enough for dragons to fly in. "By discarding one card I may add a Dragunity monster to my hand." The student discarded a Stardust Xiaolong and added a Dragunity Pilum card to her hand. "Oh, I forgot to mention you can add any of the 33 remaining cards to your hand with the effects you already have at your disposal." She only now explained. "I figured..well if the deck and extra deck still exist." Ruby was not surprised or unprepared. "My first card is Spy C-spy." She summoned a seductive female spy(4/1200/1300) in a red dress. "I choose one random card to reveal from your extra deck!" The random selector ended up on a Stardust Dragon, giving her a glimpse of what was to come. "Since it has 2000 or more attackpoints, Spy C Spy gains 1000 attackpoints!" The red dressed spy(2200/1300) powered herself up and took out her gun.

"You adapt quickly." The girl said in a seemingly flattering way. "When you get kicked out of so many fosterhomes, you learn to be quick on your feet." Ruby took it as a compliment, but still shrugged. "Yet mere power will not be enough." The student took a dismissive tone instead, making Ruby drop her smirk. "Oh."

Ruby's opponent normal summoned a javelin-headed dragon(3/1400/1000) to her field. "When Dragunity Pilum is normal summoned, it equips itself to a Dragunity-winged beast in my hand and summons that monster. Thus making me use my third card. " The other girl special summoned a avian swordswoman(4/1700/1200), who changed Pilum into a spear for her to wield. "Once, Dragunity Militum can special summon the Dragunities equipped to her." Militum transformed Pilum back into its dragonic form, placing it back on a monster zone. "Now I will use a fourth card as well." The student equipped Militum with a real spell card. "Dragunity Divine Lance! Militum gains 100 attackpoints for each level it has. Also one Dragunity dragon from my deck can be equipped to the equipped monster! My choice is Dragunity Phalanx!" A shield-plated dragon was attached to the avian(4/1800/1000). "Dragunity Phalanx can summon itself too, when it is equipped to a monster!" Through its own effect the phalanx dragon transformed into its own monster state(2/500/1100). "They will create my synchro monster!"

"Ugh. Shoulda seen that coming." Ruby groaned as Dragunity Phalanx, a tuner monster, was combined with the nontuner Militum to create a level 6 synchro monster. "I synchro summon Dragunity Knight Vajrayana from my extra deck! It can equip one Dragunity monster in the graveyard to itself!" A crimson knight(6/1900/1200) riding a crimson dragon flew out from the ravine. It dragged the Dragunity Phalanx with it as a shield. "Now that it is equipped again, I can reactivate Phalanx' effect!" The tuner resummoned itself. "Not again.." Much to Ruby's chagrin, her opponent could perform another synchro summon. And she did. "I combine Phalanx with Vayrajana and summon Stardust Dragon!" The two dragons dove back down into the canyon, and a mightier sleeker dragon(8/2500/2000) with glittering wings flew back up. "Huh?" That dragon looked familiar, but Ruby could have sworn it went by another name.

Now the effect of Stardust Xiaolong in the graveyard was activated. The green and tiny chinese dragon(1/100/100) could revive itself whenever Stardust Dragon was synchro summoned. "One more, for the price of three cards." The student used Xiaolong and the tuner-monster Dragunity Pilum to synchro summon a lower level synchro monster; a dragon(4/1900/800) made from black flames and covered by golden armor. "And this is.. Phonon Pulse Dragon. It is what you call a synchro tuner monster!" The girl was expending so much with so little, Ruby had no idea when to start playing her cards again. But she could try.

"Yeah slow down a little with this, Dark Hole!" So she activated a spell from her hand, to wipe out both their monsters, even at the cost of her own. "You forget. Stardust Dragon can negate destruction effects by sacrificing itself for one turn." Stardust Dragon dove into the created black hole and made it implode as ithe dragon was swallowed. "Yeah?. Now your monster is gone for one whole turn!" Whatever the enemy planned with Phonon dragon and Stardust, it could wait forever now. "Oh, for that I accounted as well. I activate Stardust Flash." In truth, the first trap the enemy had set was a trap card that special summoned Stardust monsters from the graveyard. Stardust Dragon returned on a road of light. "I activate a set card!" This allowed a second set trap to be activated. "Shooting Star! When I control a Stardust monster, I can destroy one card you control!" Stardust Dragon roared and made the skies rain comets down on Ruby's only monster.

"Okay, yeah no." Ruby flipped her trap as well. "Safe Zone! My monster cannot be targeted or destroyed!" The fiery Spy stepped inside a zone of energy where the comets could not venture. "There are ways to get around such a defense!" The opponent activated her last card from her hand. "Quickplay spell, Limit Over Drive! I return two synchro monsters to my extra deck, one of which has to be a tuner monster, to special summon a synchro monster with the same level as their combined levels!" For an instant it looked as if Stardust Dragon and Phonon Dragon moved faster than the speed of light, travelling the whole globe in a second. When they came back they had become one new being; an immensely powerful cosmic dragon(12/4000/4000). "I have summoned Shooting Quasar Dragon! It can negate one effect once a turn and destroy the card!" The quasar dragon released a series of stellar waves, to destroy the barrier of Safe Zone. "Gah!" With the Zone destroyed, the Shooting Stars continued their path and destroyed Spy C Spy with a storm of explosions. Shooting Star only needed Stardust to be on the field during its activation, not its resolution.

"Gree, well.. I kept count missy! You're out and I am not!" Ruby activated a Fire Formation card. "Tensu! I can normal summon a beastwarrior in addition to my normal summon!" Ruby used the continuous spell to normal summon a Brotherhood of the Fist - Dragon(4/1900/400). Each continuous Fire Formation spell like Tensu would add 100 attackpoints to beastwarriors as well. "When I activate a Fire Formation card, Dragon can set one from my deck!" Ruby placed a second formation in the spell/trap zone. "Tenki! I can add a level 4 beastwarrior to my hand!" Ruby added Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear to her hand. Though she did not summon it yet. Meanwhile the Dragon warrior placed a Fire Formation continuous spell face-down from her deck. She flipped it face-up. "Fire Formation Yoko! By discarding a card, it can destroy one monster!" Ruby discarded Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear, and converted its spiritual energy into destructive flames. "Guess which one!" The flames pierced through the body of Shooting Quasar, bringing the mighty accel synchro dragon down.

Except.. "When Shooting Quasar Dragon is destroyed, I can special summon Shooting Star Dragon from my extra deck!" The falling dragon dispersed into stardust, and reformed itself into a smaller yet still strong-looking star-white dragon(10/3300/2500). "Oh for crying out.. what does it take to wipe your field?" Ruby had forgotten the fine print. "More than brute force. You can not strongarm your way through a war, you need to plan for every contingency, have backup after backup." The student said smugly, as if she was scolding Ruby for not figuring it out herself. "Ugh. You don't want to know how many people have told me that I had to get a plan. Thanks, but I already learned by myself that Life's too short to waste it away!" Ruby activated the effect of the Dragon Fire Fist warrior; sending two Fire Formations to the graveyard to special summon a Fire beast warrior from said graveyard. Tensu and Tenki were dismissed, and the warrior(4/1700/1200) of the Bear spirit was resummoned. "Plan for this, why dont you?"

"I did. Shooting Star Dragon can negate a destruction effect once a turn. And it does not remove itself from the field to do so. I know your 'Bear' can destroy cards by using up Fire Formations, but that will not work anymore. You are out of cards."

"..Am I?!" Ruby placed the two Fire Fist warriors on top of each other. "I Xyz-summon Cardinal of the Fire Fist Brotherhood!" A heavenly priest((4/1800/2200) in white robes was born from their fused energy. His spirit was the blue fire cardinal bird. "Xyz-monsters?" The student seemed surprised. "I am sending it back alltogether!" Ruby detached both materials from this new Xyz-monster. "Cardinal can return two of my Fire Formations and two of your cards to our decks!" The cardinal traced his hand through the air, pulling out the flames of the Tensu and Tenki spells and forming a ring out of them. "Go away, Shooting Star and Shooting Quasar!" The ring spread out and sliced through the students synchro monster on the field and in the graveyard, exiling both Shooting Dragons back to the extra deck. "Ha!" There was only one card that could attack now, and both players were done with their hands. "Direct attack!" The Cardinal hit the student, and the turn ended.

Ruby's LP: 8000 Students LP: 6200

"It looks like you won."

"Hell yes I did. And it was about time too. Didn't expect an Xyz-summon did you ?" Even if these Echoes knew about that kind of monster, they could not have been too used to the newest form of extra deck summoning. Given that they had been sleeping for over ten years. "I was aware of them, but I forgot how easy they were to summon for a moment. Nobody is perfect." The student said halfheartedly, as if excusing her own defeat. "I sure hope so." That was a statement Ruby wished were true in Pandora's case as well. "But you have proven that you can overcome your obstacles, after enough attempts. You can make a difference in the duels against andora and her four servants." The student explained. "Well the rest keep saying that, and I dont disagree but.. hold on. What do you mean_ four_?"

"...Eeesh!" Ruby did not get an answer from her, instead she was pushed back to her world. "Wha..." She woke up to the sight of a fake looking zombie prop. "_Where_ am I?" This was clearly not a part of the agency's ruins, unless they had some twisted sense of humor that she had never picked up on before. "Ruby. You are back.. then you must have succeeded." She heard Dakar say. "Ehr yeah?" Good thing he was here, or else she would not have figured out where to get her answers. Definitely not from these Echo-figures. "Where did everyone else go? Why am I back here anyway?" She looked to her side and saw that Korose was still unconscious, and the rest was all missing. "Also, why do you look so down..wait." It took her a while to notice how miserable Dakars expression was as well. "Something happened, didn't it? .. With one of Ariel and the others!?"

"How..did you know?" Dakar was taken aback by her words, yet he did not deny them. "How did they know, should be the question." Ruby pointed at the Echo-shadows. Ruby's opponent had somehow been aware of this 'event' already. "They told you? Then they must feel the presence of the numbers like I can. I told you that the Seven can sense each other.. and now I can not sense one of us anymore."

...

"The 107th Number is gone." Xander stated with grim certainty. He, Ariel and Ion had arrived within ten miles of where Dakar had last been 'felt', when another of the Seven disappeared from their senses. "But that would mean that Subito is.." With Dakar nowhere near Subito's last known location, Ion knew there was no way Number 107 could have disappeared. Even if Subito was defeated, his Number should have stayed with him like it had done with Dakar and Rita. Only one thing made a Number vanish. "..he is dead." Not even Ariel could escape such a conclusion. "Why!?" Tears formed under her eyes. "Why did this happen..." Her face was twisted with sadness..and anger.

"Azar.."

...

"Subito! Subito!" The scene was that of a caved in stadium, a ragged field of stone and metal. "Can you hear me? Subito!" On top of the piles and piles of debris was Shin, desperately clawing at the heavy rocks to get underneath. "Talk to me, shout, anything!" Underneath lied Subito, his brother, giving no response. "..Shin." The other two, Azar and Necara, just watched. "We can do nothing for him now." The truth was already clear to them, no person could have survived that. Even if one could, Subito himself had little life of his own left. Artega would have died from pushing his own body too far. "I can not feel him anymore." Not even Azar, with all his powers, could undo this.

That was not something Shin could accept. "You're lying!" He broke down in screams as he slammed the rocks. "Why did you have to duel him here? Why did you have to duel him at all?" Nor could he accept that this future had been inevitable. "If you hadn't put me there.. if.. if I hadn't not jumped in to save _you_! No, this is all because of you!" He started pointing fingers, first at Azar and then at Necara. The girl just looked at Shin with questioning eyes. "Don't give me that look! Don't tell me that he is gone, don't tell me that I should not cry!" Though she did not speak, Shin could imagine the words she would usually say. "If we had not.. if you..and I..Oh god." Inievtably it all came crashing down. "It was all my fault." He grabbed his head. "I should have just stayed, I shoull have listened.." Thousands of different timelines played out in his head, all of which could have ensured Subito's survival. The seating ring did not break down as quickly as the rest of the stadium. Had he not put so much faith in that girls words and his own premonition, he would never have tried to interfere in the duel. "I killed him.. I.."

"Shin. None of this is because of you." Azar tried to calm him down. He understood his outbursts, but Shin did not deserve this selfhatred.

"Do not cry. I am here now."

"!" Another voice attempted to ease Shins state of mind; Pandora's. "YOU!?" Upon seeing her Necara immediately flew into a frenzy and threw as large a rock as she could at the womans body. "Necara. You did not really.." Pandora said calmly as the rock tore through her body. "..think that would work. You are just being a bit rude right now." 'She' finished saying as the hole reformed itself. It was as if time had rewound itself for her, though the simpler truth was that she just could not be harmed. "Why are you here? Are you challenging us?" Nevertheless Necara did not ease her guard. The Infinite would not be here without a reason. "Subito. You said something about Subito!" Shin shouted angrily. This thing was another who was responsible for Subito's fate. That fact was also why Pandora was here, which Azar soon ascertained. ".. to revive him? Why?" Necara asked. This was too good to be true. "What do you want in return?"

"There is no need to ask a question that has only one answer. This is about what you want. I am not asking if I can bring Subito back. I _am_ going to bring him back." Pandora opened her hands and started to levitate rock after rock into the air. "Remember, death has no place.. in my world."

(To be Continued in Cipher 205: Acceptable Losses)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Spy C Spy

-  
Safe Zone

**Cards used by The Student  
**Dragunity Pilum  
Dragunity Militum  
Dragunity Phalanx  
Dragunity Knight Vajrayana  
Stardust Dragon  
Stardust Xiaolong  
Phonon Pulse Dragon  
Shooting Quasar Dragon  
Shooting Star Dragon

-  
Dragon Ravine  
Dragonuity Divine Lance  
Limit Over Drive

-  
Stardust Flash  
Shooting Star


	40. Cipher 205: Acceptable Losses

**(Cipher 39) 205: Acceptable Losses**

"Stop."

She was going to do it, going to bring him back. "I don't.." Shin would see him again. Pandora was already removing everything that lied on top of his body. "I do not want..you can not do this." He did not want to see the body, not in that state. "But I can. I have. Healing a broken body will take no time at all with the power of certain Numbers. I' ve done it with Claud. I was glad I could have been there for him when he made that awful fall. And Ion? He did not even need healing, he just needed his mind back." 'She' explained the act like it was as simple as screwing in a lightbulb. "It can not be that easy! What about him? What about 'Subito'?" Shin did not just want the body back, he wanted his brother back. "I have what he was. I can simply return it. None of this will ever have happened."

"But that is not him! That's just someone who thinks he is Subito!" Shin cried out.

"Shin. What do you think people are?" Pandora stopped moving the debris for the moment. "The human mind is a wondrous thing. But when you get down to it, you are nothing more than a very sophisticated computer that runs on chemicals and currents. There is no such thing as a soul, as a spirit. I know more than any other being in existence, and if I can not detect such a thing.. it does not exist. Subito can only survive death through me." Her words were so saturated with confidence, that Shin had discarded anything he wanted to say. "Necara, you would agree." The Infinite turned to the grey girl as if to draw support. "I do not know." Necara did not want to say it or take a side in this. "I do not know the feeling that he has.." She who never had a real family could not judge how painful Shins grief should be. "The love he feels should not be tarnished. Love is after all just a basic response. I made you feel it all the same, before you turned your back on it."

"If that is how you see love, then why are you still doing this? You told us that you 'loved' us." Azar was not going to take this. Pandora might not have had ulterior motives for resurrecting Subito, yet it was still not the right thing to do. "Is this how you plan to run the world? Are you going to keep every last human from dying unless it doesn't suit you?" Pandora had admitted to still allowing certain deaths, It was basically acting as a god of death. "Only as long as they can live. Old age itself might even become a nonfactor, depending on what me and the Numbers can find out. You should realize how many scientific breakthroughs people have made in the last few months. Renewable food and energy, cures for every disease; that is all thanks to me. Even if something dies every minute. they are not going anywhere. Their essences will forever be part of me. Life and love are powerful, but they are not miracles."

"Is that it then? Have you become addicted to love? Is that why things have escalated now? Is that why you want even more?" Before Pandora seemed content to just watch the world as an unseen ruler, now it had come to the surface as a 'friend' visible to all. And soon it would extend its control to other worlds. "The fact that you are here alone also means that you do not want Ariel and the others to know yet that you are going to bring Subito back. You are not going to tell them or Subito that you have that power, are you?" Azar did not imagine that Claud and Ion would take it well if they found out that they died before. In fact he was beginning to think Pandora did not care what happened to them, as long as It could keep their experiences for Itself. As evolved as it was, it could not be that far removed from the catalyst that tormented him just for fun.

"You do not want to remember moments like that. I understand that kind of pain better than anyone.. I will be leaving with Subito now.. Think about what you are doing. _Think_ about what you can lose." Its final words were followed by a flash of light, and a loud noise. Pandora was gone.

"No. No!" The ruins of the stadium caved back in. Subito was not there anymore, his body was taken. "This is not right.. not this.." Shin shed more tears he did not think he had anymore.

"..I do not understand." Necara had many questions. Yet her most pressing one did not pertain to Shin. "Why did It did not attack?" Necara had provoked her, yet Pandora ignored the offense. It did not seem to care about a duel with them at all. "I wish I knew." As much as Azar wanted to console Shin, he had too many thoughts on his mind. "With all the power the Infinite has, the absolute control over every human and number on earth, there is no way we could be a threat now." That was in fact why they were trying to learn her name; a plan which Pandora should've been aware of. "Unless what Prometheus did to It, hurt It more than I thought." Pandora was still a Number Itself in the end, the red moon was getting to It as well. "It must think the Overhundred Numbers can take care of us.. but why.." It was a puzzling mystery. One of the pieces of that puzzle revealed itself to Azar, when he looked at his own D-pad. "!?" The lifepoint display on his device was active, despite the fact that his duel had ended some time ago.

Azars LP: 1800

"My life..did not return." It was set at the amount of life that Subito's duel had left him with. "This is because of the trial? Is this supposed to happen to all of us and all of who we duel?" It was like they were betting their own life on these duels, even if Subito had won the duel, he likely would have had too few lifepoints to continue fighting. "Pandora did not challenge me, because the same would apply to It. Pandora is the sixth enemy." It was more crucial than ever to win these duels now, knowing this.

...

The Echoes were waiting, two more duelists had to be met. Korose faced one of them. His opponent wore a regal-looking uniform, as if he were a soldier. Despite that the man himself looked rather lackadaisical. "You're probably wondering what this trial will be. Well that's easy." The man clapped his hands to make his dueldisk appear, and display the amount of lifepoints he had. "You cannot get hurt this duel, ever. You may not heal your lifepoints either. Bummer huh?"

Korose's LP: 1 Soldiers LP: 1

"A duel at deaths door." Korose saw that he could effectively not survive a single blow. He was not accustomed to this idea, he needed to think on how to approach it. "I accept this trial." He said after many minutes, with a deck that was slightly adjusted. "Nice. I am taking the first turn." The Soldier drew six cards. "Oh wait, that means you get the first attack. I should have thought that through... Oh well." He yawned and activated a spell card. "Tuning, I discard the top card from my deck to add a Synchron monster to my hand." The discarded card was a Synchron Carrier, while the added card was a Jet Synchron tuner. "Then I set one monster face-down and one trap card. There ya go. Have fun with that."

Obviously his opponent would not leave a monster in attack position on the first turn. "I too set one monster and one trap card." Neither would Korose. The risk was too great. "Not taking the bait eh?" The soldier shrugged. "That's okay, it wont help you anyway.. I flip my monster." The face-down Jet Synchron, a plane-turbine machine(1/500/0). "And there is this guy: Feedback Warrior. He will raise my other monsters level to the 3rd stage." A musical warrior(3/800/700) was normal summoned. Its effect; a loud music track played through the speakers on its body, altered the level of the Synchron tuner(3/800/700). "I Synchro summon.. Mighty Warrior!" Jet Synchron and Feedback Warrior combined their six level stars, and created a bionic brawler(6/2200/2000) with a massive mechanical right arm. "Mighty Warrior can inflict damage equal to half of the attackpoints of any monster he destroys!" The Soldier sent his Mighty one to punch out Korose's set card. "Whoops, guess not even defense will save you! Ha!.. ha?"

Korose's LP: 1

The monster died, but Korose's lifepoints did not go anywhere. "Hey, why didn't.. oh?" Because the card Mighty Warrior had flattened was Heroic Challenger Ambush Soldier(1/0/0). "I do not believe you can subtract half of zero attackpoints." Korose had lucked out, though part of him anticipated some kind of burn effect. "Hmm, I might actually have to stay awake for this.." He slapped himself in the face to get rid of his drowsiness. "Oh, before I forget. Jet Synchron can add a Junk monster from my deck to my hand, when it is used as a synchro material monster." He somewhat absentmindedly remembered to add a 'Junk Forward' card to his hand. "End turn I guess."

"I take mine then, and I will attack this turn." Korose normal summoned his new monster, a mechanical minotaur swordsman(4/1600/1200). "I call Bull Blader, and I equip him with the Bashing Shield equip card to add 1000 attackpoints to my monster." The minotaur (2600/1200) was given a spiked shield. This equip spell could only be equipped to normal summoned monsters. "I declare an attack against Mighty Warrior." Bull Blader charged forward and thrusted his shields spike into Mighty Warrior. "Whoa, wait a second! Before you do anything!" The opponent meanwhile discarded a card from his hand. "I activate the effect of Rush Warrior from my hand! It doubles the attackpoints of my 'warrior' synchro monster!" The discarded Rush Warrior raced around Mighty Warrior, covering him(4400/2000) in a golden glow. "You fell for it!" Mighty Warrior intercepted the shield with one hand and raised his other metallic fist to pound Bull Blader down. "I did, and yet I did not! Bull Blader can destroy any monster it battles with, before damage is calculated!" The minotaur dodged Mighty Warrior's swing and circled around him. "Ack!" Mighty Warrior was stabbed from behind by the Bulls blade. The synchro monster exploded shortly afterwards. "I end my turn."

"Hrm. You are a hard one to catch. What was your name again?" Korose had not actually said it before, but the soldier would not have recalled it even if he had. "I am Korose." He answered. "Ah. Sounds foreign. Wish I could recall my own name.. but thinking that far back is just too stressful. Ya know?" The soldier started his turn. "Don't have any good attack moves now. Gonna have to get clever." He special summoned a card from his hand; a flying robot(3/900/1500) with red crystals on its armor and headplate. "I control no monsters, so I can summon Junk Forward from my hand. So I still have a normal summon left." The monster he summoned after that looked rather odd for his theme; it was a horned Lich(2/600/0). "This is Necro Linker. I can tribute it to special summon a "synchron" tuner monster from my graveyard." The skeletal fiend waved its wand and performed a necromantic spell, exchanging its unlife for the life of Jet Synchron(1/500/0).

"Then I activate a field spell: Starlight Junction!" Before now, the void they were in had been completely empty. The soldier had considered it too much of a bother to create a battlefield from his memories. Now though, the two were transported to a junction of a futuristic highway. The skies turned blue and were filled with bright stars. "Once every turn, Starlight Junction can trade one tuner for another 'Synchron' tuner in my deck." Jet Synchron was put on the fastlane, straight back into the graveyard. Then from the left, a new monster drove in; a green droid(1/0/0) with stamps as its hands. "I chose Mono Synchron. Why? So that I can tune it with Junk Forward." Mono synchron stamped the Junk robot to press the number '1' on its body. "Mono Synchron can only be tuned with a level 4 or lower machine/warrior monster, and that non-tuner material will be treated as a level 1 monster." So the Soldier took the Mono tuner and Junk Forward(1/900/1500) could combine into a synchro monster with only 2 level stars. The endresult was another droid(2/200/1500) that had its body welded to a formula 1 racing car. "I synchro summon Formula Synchron in defense position! When this card is synchro summoned, I can draw one card!" The soldier did so. "I place one trap down, and end my turn."

_"Formula Synchron...and Starlight Junction." _Korose was no fool. He could see what tricks these cards had yet to reveal. _"Formula Synchron is a synchro tuner that can start a synchro summon during my turn as well. Starlight Junction returns a monster to my deck, if he succeeds in synchro summoning a synchro monster in my turn."_ The two cards were supposed to work together, though Korose did not yet see what would set them off. "I summon Heroic Challenger Thousand Blades! I use this monsters effect to special summon a Heroic Challenger from my deck!" The warrior(4/1300/1100) of a dozen swords set foot on the starlight highway. Thousand Blades switched itself to defense mode and discarded a 'Heroic' card (Heroic Challenger Double Lance) from Korose's hand to special summon a purple-armor knight(4/1800/200) with a halberd claw. "I have chosen to summon Assault Halberd! I declare an attack with this Heroic Challenger, against your defending monster!" Assault Halberd could attack through defense points. Formula Synchrons destruction would be followed by 300 points of piercing damage.

"Oh that is scary." The soldier freaked out. "Can't have that. I activate Synchro Material." A trap was flipped. "I can use one monster on your side as a material for a synchro summon!" Synchro Material targeted Assault Halberd before the battle phase could begin. "!" The combo Korose had feared was set in motion. "I used Formula Synchrons effect to synchro summon Gravity Warrior in your main phase!" The synchro tuner tuned itself with the brainwashed Challenger and its four level stars, to form a robotic beast(6/2100/1000), with manes and a tail made from thick wires.

"When Gravity Warrior is synchro summoned, it gains 300 attackpoints for each monster you controlled." Korose controlled two at the time, so the Gravity robot(2700/1000) charged itself up twice. He would not control two monsters for long. "Starlight Junction returns Bull Blader to your deck." With a monster succesfully synchro summoned, the starlight field could activate its second effect and push Bull Blader all the way into the distance. Only its Bashing Shield stayed behind. Without an owner, the equip spell fell into the graveyard below the highway. "This is it; Gravity Warrior as one more power. It can pull all defending monsters into an attacking position and force them to attack him!" The Warrior howled, and opened a black hole between its claws. "I must attack?" Thousand Blades was drawn in by the black hole, unable to do anything but draw its swords and strike back. "Well? Do I win?"

"I think not!" Korose discarded a monster from his hand, he had handtraps of his own. "I activate the effect of Heroic Challenger Swordshield and target Thousand Blades. He can not be destroyed or take damage during this turn!" A green knight placed himself in between Graivity Warrior and the Challenger it had forced to attack. Both claws and swords were blocked by Swordshield's two shields. "Hmmhmm, you have a lot of lives, Korose." The Soldier sighed. He was getting excited yet exhausted of this back and forth-dueling. "I only have one, like all others. I try to protect as much of them as I can." Korose placed a spell down and ended his turn.

"Ah. Yes. That's a good rule to live by. I do not know much about you, Korose. But you remind me of a man I once knew, someone who would put others ahead of himself. You struck me as the type who takes hits if he must.. That is why you got this restriction, to see how you deal with that weakness." The soldier drew a card. "Well that and.. I thought I would get it over with quickly. Now you made me go all out... I can banish Rush Warrior from my graveyard to take a Synchron monster out of it!" The Rush Warrior he had discarded two turns ago turned out to have a second effect. By banishing it, Synchron Carrier was recycled and placed in the Soldiers hand. "I summon this monster." The Carrier, a robot(2/0/1000) made from construction vehicle parts, appeared and moved to the center of the starlight road. "Synchron Carrier allows me to normal summon a second Synchron monster from my hand." His machine used a crane and hook to take a monster from the duelists hand and place it on the field. "Nitro Synchron." What he summoned was basically a walking nitro tank(2/100/300).

"But this is not the tuner I wanted right now, so.. My field switches it for Junk Synchron." Starlight Junctions first effect was re-activated. Nitro Synchron sped away across the highway. It was tributed for a tuner Synchron monster with one more level star; an orange scrapyard warrior(3/1300/500). "I Synchro summon Accel Synchron!" The soldier then tuned the Carrier with Junk Synchron and created a red, white and blue machine man(5/500/2100) that blasted into the sky. "You probably wanna know what this one does too. Well, Accel Synchron can discard a tuner monster from my deck to my graveyard, to alter its level by the amount of stars that were reduced. Simple, right?" The level 1 Turbo Synchron was sent to the grave by Accel Synchron; one star could be added or subtracted from Accels five stars. The Soldier decided to take a star from his Accel synchro robot(4/500/2100). "But the best part is.. Accel Synchron is also a tuner monster!" Like Formula Synchron, Accel Synchron was a synchro tuner that could synchro summon monsters during either turn.

However the soldier wanted to show off right now. "Korose, you are one strong guy. But even you will be broken by my ace! I tune a synchro tuner and synchro-non tuner to summon Stardust Warrior!" Graivity warrior and Accel Synchron became one, they created a silverblue and robotic version(10/3000/2500) of the Stardust Dragon that was known to all Echoes. "Stardust Warrior can negate any special summon once a turn by removing its presence from the field until the endphase! I do not know if you have any plans to summon defenses or not. But I am not taking that chance.." The soldier spread his arm out. "Stardust Warrior, attack Heroic Challenger Thousand Blades!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 206: A Permanent Answer)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Bull Blader

-  
Bashing Shield

**Cards used by The Soldier  
**Jet Synchron  
Feedback Warrior  
Mighty Warrior  
Rush Warrior  
Junk Forward  
Necro Linker  
Mono Synchron  
Formula Synchron  
Gravity Warrior  
Synchron Carrier  
Nitro Synchron  
Junk Synchron  
Accel Synchron  
Turbo Synchron  
Stardust Warrior

-  
Tuning  
Starlight Junction

-  
Synchro Material


	41. Cipher 206: A Permanent Answer

**(Cipher 40) 206: A Permanent Answer**

Korose's LP: 1 Soldiers LP: 1

The enemy sent Stardust Warrior(10/3000/2500) to attack the weaker Heroic Challenger Thousand Blades(4/1300/1100). "I activate Swords at Dawn!" Moments away from certain defeat, Korose flipped his set quickplay spell card. "I can equip a spell from my graveyard to an appropriate monster on the field!" The only equip spell in Korose's cemetery, Bashing Shield, was equipped and added 1000 attackpoints to the normal summoned Heroic swordsman(2300/1100). "Just 700 points short." But Stardust Warrior continued its attack and destroyed Thousand Blades, shield and all. "I realize that. I did not activate this spell to strike back, but to defend my lifepoints! Bashing Shield also reduces all damage done as a result of battle with the equipped monster!" The overflowing battle damage did not reach Korose. "Ow. I messed up." The soldier moaned. He had known Korose would have defended his monster that way, he would not have jumped the gun and summoned Stardust Warrior so early. "You're lucky." He placed one trap card down and ended his turn.

"I am, I suppose. Others have not been so fortunate.." Korose had prepared his deck for this kind of duel, but he had to admit that he would have lost if the Soldier had played the duel differently. "We rarely get to make up for our mistakes." Korose activated the spell, Reinforcement of the Army, to add a warrior monster from his deck to his hand. "I summon Bull Blader!" The card he had claimed was the minotaur(4/1600/1200) he normal summoned a second time. "Again?" The soldier didn't think he'd have to deal with that card again after he returned it to Korose's deck in his last turn. "I did say rarely. I attack Stardust Warrior with Bull Blader!" The bull swordsman ran across the Starlight and around the mechanical Stardust fighter. It came up from behind to stab it in the back, destroying Stardust Warrior with its effect before damage could be calculated.

"But there is always room for new mistakes, Korose." The dying synchro monster fell into the depths, only to have it give rise to a new montser. "Stardust Warrior can synchro summon a level 8 or lower "Warrior" synchro monster if it ever leaves the field. I think I will go with Jet Warrior!" A transformed jetfighter robot(5/2100/1200) emerged from the extra deck. "When Jet Warrior is synchro summoned, one card on your field is returned to your hand! Oh and let's not forget my field spell's effect!" As a monster had been synchro summoned in his opponents turn, the soldier could make Starlight Junction return one of Korose's cards to his deck. "Jet Warrior returns Bull Blader to your hand, and Starlight Junction returns your set card to your deck!" With this combo, the Soldier would clear off Korose's defenses away in one shot.

"I activate my trap: Soul Transition! I control no special summoned monsters, so I can tribute 1 normal summoned monster to draw 2 cards!" Korose quickly activated his trap before either card could be returned. He sacrificed Bull Blader. "Really?" The Soldier just sighed with exasperation. Instead of losing 2 cards, Korose had gained two. "I will not lose, not through my own actions." Korose placed both drawn cards face-down in his spell/trap zone.

"Well everybody slips up sometime, Korose. Making mistakes is a part of life." The soldier said as he scratched his head. "Though to beat someone like you, I suppose you need to make a flawless attack. Let's try that!" He drew his card and smiled as soon as he saw what it was. "Nice.. I atcivate the effect of Jet Synchron in my graveyard. I can revive it by discarding a card from my hand." The soldier threw away a trap from his hand to bring the turbine Synchron tuner(1/500/0) back in attack position. "What I discarded was Scrapiron Statue, which revives a 'Junk' monster when it enters the graveyard from wherever. So I can also special summon Junk Synchron from my graveyard." The dropped statue trap left a hole in the road. The orange tuner droid(3/1300/500) climbed out of his grave through that hole. "Last, I normal summon Sonic Warrior, so I can tune it along with Junk Synchron." A dynamic mechanical speedster(2/1000/0) appeared to briefly dash circles along the highway. It was quickly combined with the Junk Tuner.

"Time for my old patented favorite: Junk Warrior!" From the extra deck he came, the armored and plane warrior in blue(5/2300/1300). His scarf flapped with the stellar winds. "When I synchro summon a monster, I can activate my trap: Star Siphon! It creates a Siphon Token in defense position!" A maneating plant sprouted from the floor. Its leafy jaws opened to suck in level stars from Junk Warrior(1/2300/1300) and add them to itself(5/0/0). "The token siphons the level of the synchro summoned monster, and reduces that monsters level to 1. So now I get to do all my other effects." Junk Warrior(2800/0) and Jet Synchron(1000/0) started gaining attackpoints. "Sonic Warrior adds 500 attackpoints to all level 2 monsters on the field, when he is used up as a synchro material." Junk Warrior(6600/1300) boosted itself even further. "And Junk Warrior gains the attackpoints of all level 2 or lower monsters when he is synchro summoned. That includes himself too now!" His scrapyard warrior had achieved a newfound level of power. "Junk Warrior, Jet Warrior, Jet Synchron..attack Korose!" The three aerial fighters took off and barreled down towards the duelist.

"I am impressed, sir duelist. I however have an answer for this!" Korose activated the the trap: Pinpoint Guard. "I can special summon a monster from my graveyard! That monster can not be destroyed as a result of battle this turn!" Pinpoint Guard resurrected Heroic Challenger Ambush Soldier(1/0/0) in defense mode. "An answer? Do you have one for everything?" The soldiers response was to activate a quickplay spell from his hand. It was the card he had drawn this draw phase. "I activate this support card for Junk Warrior; Scrap Fist! Since my Junk Warrior battles a monster now, it gains up to five effects!" Junk Warriors fist glowed burning red. "No effects can stop Junk Warriors attack and he can not be destroyed as a result of battle! He will inflict piercing damage and double it! The monster he battles will be destroyed regardless of any other effects." There were almost too many power-ups to list, but all that mattered was that any piercing damage would do Korose in.

"I activate True Strike!" Were it not for Korose's trap card. "I negate the effects of your spell card and send it back to your hand!" Scrap Fist could not finish its activation. "You suggest that I aim to be flawless. I do not. I aim to be fair. I grew up in places where injustice always prevailed. I vowed to do all I could to keep injustice away from others." Korose was not fond of using negation effects, but to prevent sneakiness in the battle phase he often had to use them.

_True Strike, Counter Trap  
__When a Spell/Trap card is activated during battle between two monsters: Negate the activation, and if you do, return that card to the owner's hand.  
__That card cannot be set this turn. Your opponent cannot activate spell or trap card effects during this battle._

"That's nice I guess. I tried being a better man myself too, I think. Can't really remember." The Soldier had to call of his attackers. There was not much of a point in fighting with a monster protected by Pinpoint Guard. "Expectations.. Orders.. just not my style." He placed a spell card down and used Starlight Junctions first effect to sacrifice Jet Synchron and special summon a train-engine tuner: Steam Synchron(3/600/800) from his deck. Then he switched Jet Warrior to defense mode and ended his turn. "I would not say it about expectations.. but about the right to live life the way you want it. Everyone would be free and treated equally, in a just world." Korose said and he began his turn. During his standby phase, the Ambush Soldiers effect was activated. The stealth warrior tributed itself to special summon two Heroic Challengers, Extra Blade(4/1300/1100) and Assault Halberd(4/1800/200).

"That's the thing isn't it? The world isn't just? And you can not change it by yourself, so why bother?" Surprisingly, the soldier prepared a countermove right then and there. "I activate Star Changer, a quickplay spell that alters my monsters level by 1 star." He used Star Changer to take 1 level star away from the Siphon token(4/0/0). "It just so happens that I do not have any level 8 monsters in my extra deck, but I do have a level 7 one! I activate Steam Synchrons effect as well; it can enable a synchro summon during your main phase." The steam tuner came together with the Star Siphoning plant token, so that their 7 stars could create a new synchro monster. "Lightning Warrior is summoned in defense mode!" This warrior came down like a bolt of lightning. The thunder dispersed to reveal the white knight(7/2400/1200) with sharp blonde hair and a long red scarf.

"It kinda describes this duel doesn't it? We're both trying to take advantage of the little guys! I love the little guys as much as you do!" The soldier had removed most weak points from his field. And with Lightning Warrior synchro summoned in Korose's turn, the field spell could push the Halberd Challenger back into Korose's deck. It wouldn't get to pierce any of his remaining warriors, and Korose was all out of Reinforcement spells. "Not everyone can protect themselves, not everyone can take on everything."

"I know." Korose would have liked to take Junk Warrior head on, but that was impossible. "I will have to do something I normally would not." Korose normal summoned the last card in his hand, Heroic Challenger Double Lance(4/1700/900). Using its effect, Korose could special summon the Heroic Double Lancer(4/1700/900) in his graveyard to the field. "I Xyz-summon One-Eyed Skill Gainer!" Both Double Lances overlayed themselves with Thousand Blades to create a rank 4 monster that required 3 materials; the samurai(4/2500/2600) with the one-eyed mask. "I can detach a card from this Xyz-monster, to steal the name and effect of another monster on the field!" The Skill Gainer slashed through one of its Xyz-materials with his left sword. "I choose Lightning Warrior!" The identity he stole was that of the soldiers electric warrior, its face became Skill Gainers face after the samurai took off his mask.

"Uh oh." The Soldier shuddered. When a Lightning Warrior destroyed a monster as a result of battle, it could inflict 400 points of damage to that monsters owner for each card in their hand. He had wanted to use that effect against Korose on the next turn. Except now he would suffer 400 points of damage now, since there was one card in _his_ hand. "I have no cards in my deck that would inflict effect damage as I have always attempted to defeat my opponents the honorable way. I nearly paid the price for that honor before. You showed me that I must put myself above that, if I truly want to avoid more losses!" Korose punched his first forward. "I declare my final attack!" The One-eyed warrior drew his right sword and spiraled towards Jet Warrior like a whirlwind of blades. The jetfighter synchro was cut to pieces, while sparks were unleashed by the clashing metal. The lightning was redirected towards the Echo. "Yeaaargh!"

Soldiers LP: 0

"Oof." The soldier took a tumble. "Oh. What a way to lose." He shook his head and sat down. "I enjoyed our fight, for what it was worth." Even now Korose was glad to have dueled against someone just for the sake of proving oneself. He wishes more duels were like this. "Me too.. But what were we talking about again? Eh, doesn't matter.. dunno why I went all philosophical." He waved his hand dismissively. "You can go back now. You proved yourself, lord knows you'd do better than me. I am going back to sleep now." He yawned and layed down, while all the stars in the sky faded one by one.

"I.."

The world was a lot brighter soon after. "..have returned." He was back with the others in the haunted house. "Korose." Dakar greeted him while the Echoes simply stared with their blackened eyes. "I missed a few events, it seems." He had not been gone long from his perspective. And from their point of view he had woken up only a few minutes after Ruby did. However there was a lot to explain. Ruby shared a weary look with Dakar. "I will tell him."

Dakar took the task of informing Korose of everything, up to and including Subito's fate. "Subito.. is gone? I do not know what to say." Korose was not certain which feeling inside him was the stronger one; sadness or confusion. "His departure would be a great loss to us all." He did not see Subito as being all that close to him, but he was definitely a man to look up to and honor. "How did this even happen?" Ruby slammed the wall. She definitely felt rage above anything else. "Why did he die? Did Azar kill him? Did Pandora?" Ruby could not think of Azar doing such a thing. Nor Pandora, if she was honest. "Or he did it to himself.." The only other conclusion.. was that Subito caused his own end. "Subito could've..." Dakar knew how Subito could be at his worst. He had seen the obsession in him whenever they chased Chaos, before and after he had been 'betrayed' him. "Then where did he..how did he? Do we know anything? Where did Azar go?" What bothered Ruby the most was that they were stuck here, and she had no idea what happened out there. "Azar said he would draw Subito to the old stadium where he had his last league duel." Dakar said. "That place?" Ruby was horrified. "Where he rescued me." The stadium, the fire, the day she nearly died until _he _came.

"I suppose this future was one he always stayed too close to, Subito. He tried to save too many lives..at the cost of his own." Korose understood that side of the man well, he could not stand by and let injustice happen. But he had not learned to pick his battles. Korose did not say it out loud, as he considered it inappropriate; but he felt he could have gone down the same selfdestructive path if the conditions were different. There was only so much one man could do. "I am sure Subito went out doing the right thing. He did not die for nothing." He said, not realizing how accurate his words were. Korose did realize one thing though. Even if it was just to save one life, he would give his all.

...

Shin still mourned for his brother, and Azar held his silence. "We must go." Necara was the one who had her mind on their next objective already. "Doing nothing will gain us nothing." They needed to regroup with the others, and take on the rest of the Seven. "You are right." Azar could not do this all by himself now that his life had been drastically reduced. They would need everyone to fight back. "But if I go to Dakar now, I will reveal his location to the others. That is if I can find him at all." Not even Azar would be able to find Dakar if he still had his 'masquerade' illusion up. He only knew the general location in which he had fled. It was not clear if Ruby and Korose had finished their trials yet either. "..." Then there was the matter of the Probe. Somewhere it was being rebuilt, except Azar did not know where to begin looking. He could not sense Grant Artega. It might not even matter, Pandora could force anyone anywhere to help build it, now that It knew how. "We should get someone else back first." Azar stared off to the east. One of his friends was out there alone, with just one of the Seven. "Shin, We have to go."

"Just go! Leave me alone!" Shin yelled back. "Why are we still doing this!?" He did not care anymore, not about saving the others, or himself. Why would he want to have a world that did not have his brother in it?

"Shin.." Azar could not find the words to convince Shin. Shin had every right to feel this way. "...You are not going to leave him behind are you?" But Necara still insisted. "Just put him to sleep, you can do that. Or I will have to knock him out, and neither of us wants that." Shin could not be left behind, she knew this and so did Azar. "Yes." Azar took in a deep breath and focused on Shins mind. One pulse through their subconscious connection was all he needed. "Huh? Wha.." Shin passed out immediately. "I am sorry, Shin."

...

Claud had promised to stay by Rita's side until she woke up. That worked out all fine and well, until his stomach started growling. "Dangit. Just a sec, Rita." So he rushed out the room.

"...I thought he would never stop talking."

That was Rita's cue to open her eyes and rise from her bed. She had been awake ever since she felt a painful pinch in the back of her head. It was an awful feeling, like someone had died. That she was pretending to sleep afterwards escaped Clauds attention as he too had been too rattled in that moment. Though he had resumed tot watching over her all too quickly. _"Now to get out of here."_ She got up and could not help notice that she was still in her old wintercoat. _"Egh. He is a gentleman, sure. But I could really use some new clothes."_ She checked around the room. It was one of those cold clinical healing rooms, not much would be here. Even she had her limits when it came to giving up comforts.

"Rita!"

"..Claud!?" Unfortunately her priorities cost her a free getaway, as Claud had returned to the room while she had been checking the closets. "No, wait!" She heard Claud shout as she quickly warped away. "Damn it Claud, dont follow me!" She cursed back at him as soon as she stopped on the roofrop of the building and saw Claud right besides her. "I am not leaving you alone! We have got to cure you! I thought you were cured" No matter where she teleported, he would be able to find her and her Overhundred Number. In its enhanced state, his own Overhundred Number could match any power used by another Number and follow them. "Claud, I do not want to fight you!" She hissed. "Neither do I! But everyone says that could be the only way to get you back! Rita..I.." Claud might have had doubts, but he would never give up on her. Rita saw that. "Graaah! If you wont say it, I will! I challenge you to a duel!" There were few other options at this point anyway. Still Claud looked shocked. "Rita.."

"I guess we will both soon find out if you are more than a copy.."

(To be Continued in Cipher 207: Til Victory do us Part)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**_True Strike_

**Cards used by The Soldier  
**Jet Warrior  
Sonic Warrior  
Junk Warrior  
Steam Synchron  
Lightning Warrior

-  
Scrap Fist  
Star Changer

-  
Scrapiron Statue  
Star Climb


	42. Cipher 207: Til Victory do us Part

**(Cipher 41) 207: ****Til Victory do us Part**

Clauds LP: 8000 Rita's LP: 8000

Challenging Claud to a duel was something Rita had never thought she would do. "Are we really doing this?" Claud did not believe it either. "We have to." Rita felt a mix of frustration and regret. Part of her did not want to find out if this was Claud or not. The other part was sick of running and being scared. "Then..what do we do?" He still sounded unsure about how to proceed. "Ladies go first, Claud. That never changes." She said coldly. Rita refused to let her feelings decide her actions right now, this duel had to be forced on them both. "Don't think that this is just about you. I would fight back against the rest as well now that I know what I know." Rita placed a monster down and ended her turn.

"Well..right back at you, Rita!. I will make you see that we should be friends!" Clauds began his turn with a spell card. "I activate Present Exchange! We both banish a card from our deck, and we can add that banished card to each others hands during my endphase!" Claud banished Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force from his deck and placed it face-down on his field. As soon as his turn would end, that card would be placed in Rita's hands. "Presents? Honestly? You still use such terrible cornball cards?" Rita was not in the giving mood. She banished Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord from her deck, a card Claud would have no use for. "Of course. I'm a showman. Our show might have been off the air for months now, but I want to stick my roots. Because that's how I met you." Claud said with not a hint of shame. "Ugh..Claud." If he was a copy, he sure as hell had Clauds hackneyed quirks pegged.

"A showman also never starts with their best card! I play Battlin Boxer' Headgeared! When he is normal summoned, he sends a Boxer in my deck to the graveyard!" A blue-skinned boxer in read gear(4/1000/1800) entered the dueling ring. "I will go for Glassjaw!" Headgeared raised its gloved fist into the air. It held up another Battlin Boxer card and tossed it into the grave. "Then I activate another spell card; Battlin' Boxing Spirits! I take off the top card from my deck to special summon a Battlin' Boxer from my graveyard!" Clauds spell discarded a Battlin'Boxer Big Big Bandage from the top of his deck. Then it pulled the muscular green giant, Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw(4/2000/0), back into the field in a defensive stance. "These monsters will become Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" Glassjaw and Headgeared pounded their fists together and unleashed the energy needed to Xyz-summon the chained and bound barbarian boxer(4/2200/2000).

"Next up; by detaching one material from a Battlin Boxer Xyz-monster, I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Shadow from my hand!" A stealthy warrior wrapped up in dark cloth emerged from Lead Yoke's shadow. It(4/1800/1400) punched away one of its attached materials, Headgeared, to switch in. "You see when Lead Yoke loses a material, it gains 800 attackpoints!" The giant stone on Lead Yok's back was cast off, allowing the Barbarian(3000/2000) to move more freely. "Here they come, Rita. I will try to not hit too hard!" The Shadow boxer moved towards Rita's set monster in a flash, and smashed it with one punch. "You are not gonna hurt me at all, Claud." The monster it destroyed however, an icy bird(4/1200/1600) with aurora-patterned wings, returned to her field in face-up defense position. "Once a turn, Aurora Wing can summon itself back to my field if it is destroyed by an attack." She could hide behind her monster this turn. "Oh... I mean I called that!" Claud grinned. Under any other circumstance, he would have enjoyed this match. "Second attack!" Lead Yoke used his own fists to crush Aurora Wing permanently. "That was my turn!"

With the turn moving into its endphase, Present Exchange resolved itself. Claud could add MoulinGlacia to his hand while Rita claimed Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force. _"This has got to be a trap." _Rita did not trust that spell in the slightest. The kind of Chaos Force that the Seven used was deeply infested with Pandora's energy. Even setting it could be dangerous. She had no way of getting rid of it either. _"Just ignore it."_

"I summon Blizzard Thunderbird." A ice-bodied warrior(4/1600/1400), with wings of frozen gold, flew down before Rita. "I activate her effect. It discards one card from my hand and returns itself to my hand. Afterwards I can special summon two water-winged beasts. One from my hand and one from my graveyard." Rita discarded a SirenOrca monster card, while her Blizzard bird erupted into thunder sparks and ice particles. The particles and sparks created two new birds of ice and water. Aurora Wing was revived and Guard Penguin(4/0/1200) was summoned from her hand. "I Xyz-summon Number 103: Ragnazero!" Aurora Wing and Guard Penguin scattered like diamond dust and twisted together to create the funeral witch(4/2400/1200) with grey petrified skin and wings of clear ice. "Ragnazero can destroy one monster whose attack is different from its original value!" Number 103 absorbed one material into her body and set off towards the Lead Yoke boxer who had already modified his attackpoints.

"But Rita! Lead Yoke has a move for that! It negate its destruction by detaching one of its materials!" Claud countered by detaching Glassjaw from Lead Yoke. The barbarian broke free from its final chains, gaining yet another powerboost, and crossed his(4/3800/2000) arms to endure the flurry of blades that Ragnazero lashed out with. "Also, I can recall a Battlin Boxer from my graveyard now. When Glassjaw is sent to the grave, it activates that effect." Claud placed Battlin' Boxer Headgeared back into his hand. "Then I activate the effect of Battlin Boxer Rib Gardna from my hand! I banish it to banish Battlin Boxer Shadow until my next standby phase!" Before Rita could get any idea about attacking the weaker boxer, Claud removed it for one turn. "Hmph." That was as expected. Rita simply ended her turn. "You are not going to use Chaos Force? Is that what you want, Rita? If so.." Claud accepted her choice, though he wished she hadn't.

"What I want? What about what you want?" Rita shook her head. Why did any Claud have to be so stupidly selfless? "I know all those effects already, Claud. I just had to get through your materials somehow!" Rita ended her turn, and waited for Claud to draw his next card to make her move. "Maybe you forgot that Ragnazero can use its power in your turn as well!" The funeral maiden detached her second material, and spun into another dance of swords. "Aw son of a.." Now that Lead Yoke also had run out of materials, it could not fend off the Numbers dectruction effect and perished to many fatal cuts. "When Ragnazero destroys a monster with her effect, I can draw one card!" Rita drew once and turned to Claud with a displeased expression. "I know what I am doing, Claud. Do you?"

"I do! What about you and the others. I mean look what you did!" Claud pointed at the red skies above. "You got the world all mad, people are staying inside because they fear Chaos or The End is back to attack the whole world again. And he is! No matter how you spin it, Azar looks like he turned heel to me!" Claud drew his card. Battlin' Boxer Shadow returned from the other dimension in the phase after that. "I activate Magical Mallet! I return cards from my hand to their deck and draw new ones!" Claud returned Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord to Rita's deck and Battlin' Boxer Headgeared to his own. In return he drew twice. "I normal summon Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter! He will use his special power to summon one Boxer from my graveyard! But I can not special summon non-boxers this turn!" A hooded, half-cybernetic boxer(4/1500/1400) jumped into the battlefield. Switchhitter jabbed the floor below him twice, in order to special summon a boxer(2/1100/1400) that was bandaged from head to toe.

"I'm bringing out Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage! He can make all boxers have the same level as one of the Boxers in my graveyard or banished zone!" Big Bandage unwrapped his arms to entangle the Shadow boxer, and also the banished Rib Gardna. The latters level was forced upon the boxer in black(3/1800/1400), Big Bandage(3/1100/1400) and Switchhitter(3/1500/1400). Claud overlayed Big Bandage with Switchhitter. "These two will make Battlin' Boxer Cheat Commisioner!" The boxing ring had room for a rank 3 xyz monster as well, allthough this one seemed to be more of a shady manager(3/0/1300) than a fighter. "Cheat Commisioner cannot be attacked while I control other boxers! Also if a boxer attacks another monster.." Claud initiated battle with Rita, the Shadow boxer headed towards Ragnazero. "Cheat Commisioner can steal one card out of my opponents hand and down on my field!" The Commissioner detached both its materials and blew his horn to pause the fight between the two monsters. Then the xyz-monster hit Rita's hand with his staff. "Hey! That hurts!" She hissed as a spell fell out of her hand.

"Huh?" Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force was set down on Clauds field! "You..swindled me?" Had Claud just performed a convoluted combo to get that one card on his side right away? "It's not like that, Rita! Ehr.." Claud meanwhile felt the counterblow, as the battle phase continued. Ragnazero cut down Battlin' Boxer Shadow before its fists could near her. "When I take battle damage, I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Veil from my hand, to heal my wounds!" While the Shadowboxer had been beaten, a shield-wearing defensive boxer(4/0/1800) took his place. It restored the 600 lifepoints that Claud had lost in the last exchange. "Now I move to my second main phase! I control a Battlin Boxer so I can special special summon Battlin' Boxer Sparrer from my hand!" A lanky boxer(4/1200/1400), covered in protective gear and cushion pads tagged in.

"He will overlay with Veil!" The Sparrer and the bail-out boxer joined forces, Xyz-summoning Clauds third Xyx-monster..and his first Number to Rita's amazement. "Meet Battlin' Boxer Nova Caesar, Rita! He's the 79th Number!" Claud proudly displayed his new red and gold warrior(4/2500/1600) in its solarpowered flying suit. "I can see that! But why do you have a second Number?" Rita almost felt slighted that he had a second Number, when she was never given one. "Did Pandora give it to you?" The fact that Nova Caesar seemed specifically tailored to his archetype seemed sketchy too. "Yes, yes she did. She told me I could control it. Someone else must have used a Batlling Boxer deck and awakened a Number with this shape! Let me show you what it can do!" Claud took a card from his graveyard. "Nova Caesar gains 100 attackpoints for each attached material, and it can attach a Battling Boxer from the graveyard each turn!" The dead Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw was changed into an Xuz-material and attached to Number 79 to further enhance its(2600/1600) powers. "I end my turn!"

"Oh.. and it looks like we finally have an audience."

"Huh?" Rita looked behind her to see what the hell Claud was talking about. "You guys?" On the top of the building stood Necara, Azar and Shin. The latter was unconscious. "You're a little late!" If they wanted to spring her out, they could hardly do it in the middle of her duel. "I am sorry for that. I sensed your Number, so I assumed you were in a duel with someone." Azar had wanted to stay hidden until he was sure Rita would win the duel, to not risk drawing the attention of others. But he had to warn her. "Rita.. The trials we did made the Numbers weaker, so they can be killed by non-Numbers. But Because you won your trial, your lifepoints will not come back after this duel." There were new mechanics in play. "What!? How is that a good thing?" Rita yelled. Why did she win the trial to begin with in this case? "Because the same applies to Claud." His Nova Caesar was just as fragile as her Ragnazero, for starters. "It is the only way to permanently cure him. The more life he loses, the more he will become himself." Though that depended on how 'real' this Claud was.

"Huh? What are you all saying?" For his part, Claud could not decipher one bit of what was uttered in front of him.

"..Is that what happened to Subito too?" What Rita had sensed before did not give her much confidence either way. "No. That was..something else." Azar could not say anything more about it right now. This was not the right time. "I see." Rita drew her card. "I reactivate the effect of Blizzard Thunderbird!" Rita normal summoned her thunder ice bird from her hand again. She returned it to her hand, and discarded a card (Nopenguin) from her hand. "I special summon a SirenOrca from my hand and my graveyard!" The two water-winged beasts summoned this time were the same; the green feathered orca sirens(5/2200/1000). "I overlay them both to Xyz-summon Ice Princess Zereort!" Her flying merwomen transformed into spirals of water and splashed together to create an icy portal. The sub-zero harpy(5/2500/1200) shaped its body from that ice. "This card lets me reduce your monsters attackpoints to zero, Claud!" Zereort incited a snowstorm that was fierce enough to lower the fiery powers of Nova Caesar(0/1600).

_"Damage him to save him.." _Rita needed more firepower, she concluded. "Wait for this, Claud! I can use a rank 5 water monster and its materials to create a rank 6 monster!" Rita placed a new Xyz-monster on top of the Ice Princess. "I Xyz-summon Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer!" Zereort dispersed and its ice particles solidified into the body of a queen of the cold; an ice lancer(5/3200/1600) in black armor. "Full Armored Crystal Zero gains 500 attackpoints for each of her attached materials! She can also detach one of those to negate the effects of all monsters on the other side of the field!" Crystal Zero Lancer drew one attached card into her lance and swept that weapon across the rooftop. The unleashed frost waves trapped both Boxers; Number 79 and Cheat Commissioner, in thick coats of ice. "This is for you!" Crystalzero Lancer impaled the Commissioner, who could now be targeted for attacks, on her lance. Meanwhile Ragnazero slashed the Solar Caesar Boxer through the chest. "Gwah!"

Clauds LP: 5600

"Claud?!" Rita gasped as she saw what her attack did to him. Claud had shuddered and collapsed. "Was that supposed to happen?!" She yelled at Azar. "Subito reacted differently." He answered. It could have been that Claud just had a slightly weaker constitution. "He is not dead." But Necara pointed out that the man was still visibly shaking. Rita's anger faded from her face immediately. "Claud! Claud are you alright?"

"I..what am I remembering?" Claud heard her cries, but his mind was elsewhere. "What is this? Rita..what.." Strange images came into him. "When did we duel.." He saw himself stand besides Rita, dueling a giant of stone. And then.. he fell. "I..died?" A silence took hold. "No. That's a lie, right?" He looked at Rita. "Right?!" He wanted to see reassurance on her face. He got none. "No. Then..what am I?" Had she been right, had Azar told the truth the entire time? "You.." Azar was amazed Claud had genuine memories at all. He would have thought Pandora simply recreated Claud with a false past from the beginning. "Pandora told us, that she found your body after you fell, and that she revived you. But you did die. What you are now, came from her. Either you really are Claud, or you are just a new mind made by Pandora." What was happening now, could in fact prove that this _was_ the original Claud. Yet Azar believed there was more to it.

"NO!" It was impossible for Dakar to imagine it, in any aspect! "No way! That didn't happen! I am alive! More than alive!" Claud got back up and pulled three cards out of his graveyard. "When Nova Caesar is destroyed, he can summon a number of Battlin Boxers from my graveyard. One for each material it had on him when he died!" That number was three, so three Boxers were resummoned; Glassjaw(4/2000/0), Shadow(4/1800/1400) and Veil(4/0/1800). "I am Claud, I am the fifth of the Seven! I will not walk away from that! I summon Number 105: Battlin Boxer Star Cestus!" Clauds turn started and he used all three Boxers as materials for the xyz-summon of his mighty stellar boxer: Cestus the Star(4/2500/2000).

"I activate my present to you, Rita!" Claud flipped the set spell that his Cheating Boxer had stolen for him. "Chaos Force!" The Rank-Up-Magic card targeted the gold blue boxer and evolved it with chaotic energy. Number 105 became Chaosnumber 105, the crimson clawed fighter Comet Cestus(4/2800/2000) was reborn. Chaos Force also drained Crystal Zero Lancers(2200/1600) last attached material, Ice Princess Zereort, and added it to the Chaosnumber instead. "I detach one material from him, to destroy a monster you control and inflict damage equal to its attackpoints!" Comet Cestus detached the original Star Cestus card, allowing it to send a meteor of pure fire towards Ragnazero. "Gyah!" Rita screamed as her own Number was purged by the chaos flames. The pain was like nothing else. _"Now I know what it feels like.."_

Rita's LP: 5600

"Rita. I.." Claud was horrified to hear how much he hurt her, but not enough to stop himself. "I will save you! With all the power that I have!" Claud took one card from his extra deck and placed it on top of his Chaosnumber. "He is going to use that card!?" Azar saw it, the same card Subito had used to boost his Numbers power beyond its limits. The card that had ultimately cost him his life! "What, what card!?" Rita coughed. She had not gotten that warning yet! "You should've..told me sooner!" Comet Cestus left the field, and a samurai-like fighter(7/5000/0) in red stepped into its zone. "This is CXyz Pandorian Hope! By using any Overhundred Number and its attached cards as materials, CXyz Pandorian Hope can Xyz-summon itself! It then gains 1000 attackpoints for each card underneath it." Pandorian Hope(7/5000/0) had five materials attached, which granted 5000 attackpoints to the Chaos-Xyz warrior. "This is what's gonna stop you for good, Azar! Me and Rita are gonna take you down as a team!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 208: Even if you Say It)

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley  
**Blizzard Thunderbird  
Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Battlin' Boxer Headgeared  
Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw  
Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke  
Battlin' Boxer Shadow  
Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna  
Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage  
Battlin' Boxer Cheat Commisioner  
Battlin' Boxer Veil  
Battlin' Boxer Sparrer  
Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Caesar  
CXyz Pandorian Hope

-  
Present Exchange  
Battlin' Boxing Spirits  
Magical Mallet


	43. Cipher 208: Even if You Say It

**(Cipher 42) 208: ****Even if You Say It**

Though Claud and Rita had dragged their fight to the top of the building, not all of its residents were unaware of their presence. "Pandora. I know you can see what I see." Darcy had been watching the duel through a camera installed on the rooftop. She called Pandora up on the communicator in her headband, not to inform her but to simply hear from her. "What should I do?" After what had happened to Subito, she was not sure she wanted the fight to continue. Nor was she sure if she could interfere with Azar around. "You said you would bring Subito back just the way he was, that this is what you are working on right now. But please.. I want to hear from you. I do not know what is going to happen." No answers came, and she had none of her own. Claud and Rita's fates were unknown and undecided. "This is not what I wanted.."

Clauds LP: 5600 Rita's LP: 5600

_"So that is why he didn't just use The Seventh One to summon his Chaosnumber." _This was the first time Azar had seen CXYZ Pandorian Hope(7/5000/0) in a duel, but he already calculated how much weaker it would have been had Claud used just Comet Cestus to summon itself. "Claud. That is what.." It was also the card that pushed Subito to the edge.

"I wasn't done talking yet! Pandorian Hope has another power! It can copy the effects of any Number in my graveyard until my next turn!" There were only two Numbers; Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus the 105th and Battlin' Boxer Nova Caeser the 79th. "I will recycle Number 79's effect!" Nova Caesars effect gave the CXyz Hope(7/5500/0) an additional 100 attackpoints for each of its Xyz-materials. It also allowed the Pandorian warrior to use Number 79's second ability. "CXyz Pandorian Hope attaches a Battlin Boxer to itself!" Claud placed Battlin Boxer Big Bandage as a material in the Xyz monsters shield. It(6600/0) gained 1000 attackpoints from its own effect and 100 from the copied Nova Caesar effect. "Rita. I have to attack now. I..must.." The target was Full Armored Crystal Zero Lancer(6/2200/1600). "Raaah!" One thrust with its golden spear was all it took for his Xyz monster to slay Rita's monster. "Oh no.. Please don't be mad! This is helping you! It has to!" Claud could tell that she did not take the hit well. That was why he was hoping that more damage to her lifepoints would do the opposite of what the battle damage had done to him.

Rita's LP: 1200

"Rgh. You always drive me mad, Claud." For now though all the damage did was cause her pain and nausea. "I'm not that weak that you need to worry about me every time I lose life!" Her point of view was the same as it had been before. "I Draw!.." Unfortunately that alone was not enough to get her back on her feet. "What? Why.." Rita felt the time had come to draw her own Rank-Up-Magic spell and she had always been able to get her hands on it before. "Why cant I draw it? Are you telling me I can't do it?" Now she failed at it, she had just drawn a regular monster card. It was not even a water-type winged beast so she could not use it with Blizzard Thunderbird either. "This must be the price for us, Rita. The more life we lose, the less control we have over our Seventh One is one of Pandora's cards." Azar had purified that spell in Rita's deck and Dakars as well. But now it was as if it did not listen to Rita anymore. Maybe that was for the best. "If you use The Seventh One now, I do not know what will happen."

"Great." Rita placed one monster and trap card down and ended her turn.

"I know what will happen; Rita will join me and we can take you and Necara on!" Claud summoned a new boxer as his turn started; the redhaired rule breaker Battlin Boxer RabbitPuncher(3/800/1000). "Don't talk like you have already won, Claud! That's mistake number one!" Rita flipped a counter trap. "I activate Forced Back! This card bounces the monster your normal summoned!" The zone Rabbit Puncher had stepped on sprung into the air and forced the boxer back into Clauds hand. "Rabbit Puncher automatically destroys any defensive monster, doesnt it? I am not gonna let that get near me!" It did not matter if she was pushed into a corner, she was not giving up. Never.

"Ritaaa.." Claud was out of things to say. He just wanted this to be over with. "Pandorian Hope copies the effect of another Number this time!" He made his CXyz switch from Number 79 to Number 105's effect, and he made it(5000/0) detach one material. That material was Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw, whose own effect was activated when it was sent to the graveyard by CXyz's effect. Claud could take back any of his dead Battlin Boxers, and he reclaimed Switchhitter. "If it copies the effect of Battlin Boxer Star Cestus, it can reflect all damage during battle and negate the effects of the monster it attacks!" Pandorian Hope invoked the burning cosmic spirit of Cestus to power up its attack on Rita's facedown monster. A demon disguised as a snowman(3/0/1900) was devastated. "Snowman Eater?" Clauds pre-emptive move had been the right one. Snowman Eater could destroy a monster when it was flipped face-up. It could not do so now that the CXyz had negated the monsters effects. "I called it again. Rita, I know how you think. That you returned Rabbit Puncher to my hand meant that you wanted your face-down monster to be destroyed in battle, not by an effect."

"You dont know me as well as you think you do, Claud." Rita's turn came and she drew again. Once more she failed to get anything that could get her out of this situation. "But I know you better than anyone else, better than Azar! I know your real hair color is mouse blond, I know the names of your parents, I even know your real age! Its.." Before he could prattle on too long. "That's enough!" Rita silenced him. "It is not about that, it is.. gah!" She could no longer hide how she felt, she could not deny that Claud was only saying the truth. "I place two trap cards down and one monster, that is it."

"Are you not fighting back? Why?" Her actions prompted Necara to yell at her. "I am not fighting back because I cant! He is the same guy, how else can you explain it all! He remembers everything!" That Claud, ever so briefly, recalled his own death, meant that his mind had experienced it. "The memories were put in him, that is all, or his body stored the memories. There is nothing that can bring someone back to life..." The grey girl insisted. She felt that the sooner Rita realized this, the better she could duel. "Dont you start that again! Why would Pandora let him keep the real memories if his mind was a copy to begin with?" Rita shook her head, she would not let Claud go. "Pandora did not revive Claud for some malicious purpose, Rita. 'She' only intended to undo a tragedy of the past, despite her understanding of mortal life differing from ours. But she admitted it.. Claud did die." Azar was certain of that, but only that. There simply was no way he or anyone else could really tell what happened to Clauds mind at the time of his death.

"That does not change my position. It's not that I don't want to win.. I cant." Things looked bleak for her. Even if she could defeat Claud, she would have very little lifepoints left. "You should go after the others, help them instead." There were still three other Overhundred Numbers that needed to be taken care of. "We can't. I do not know where Dakar could be now." Azar had come here for Rita because her Number was one of the few things that could penetrate Dakars illusions. "Have you tried calling them, genius?" Rita offered a more straightforward solution. "Call?" Azar needed a moment to see what she was getting at. "The Dueling network." Ruby and Korose were with Dakar, and they still had normal D-pads with accounts. He could easily reach him online. "Yes, that! Sure Pandora will be listening in, but its not like she doesnt already know what you are doing."

"You forget one thing, Rita, everyone! You will not be leaving us if this duel ends with me as the winner!" Claud summoned Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter(4/1500/1400) from his hand. The boxers effect was triggered upon its normal summon and it special summoned Battlin' Boxer Shadow(4/1800/1400) from the graveyard in attack position. "No more talking about me like I am not even here! I _am_ here, and It will stay that way!" Claud made Pandorian Hope switch Numbers again. The chaos warrior copied the effect of Nova Caesar and attached the dead Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw to itself(6600/0) to gain 1000 and 100 attackpoints. "I promise I will free you now, Rita! I will smash all of Azars lies!" The battle phase began and Switchhitter jabbed its fists through Rita's set monster, a very young penguin(1/400/200).

"...I wish i could let you get your way, but you aren't winning yet. I am not scared of you!" Rita sent the monster to the graveyard...and activated its effect. "When Baby penguin is flipped face-up and destroyed, I can special summon a Penguin monster from my graveyard." Rita placed a Guard Penguin on her field in face-down defense position. "There is more. When a Penguin used its effect this turn, I can activate the effect of Nopenguin in my graveyard to special summon it as well." A fat short penguin(3/1600/100) filled the monster zone next to the set Guard Penguin. It was also in defense mode. "I didn't say you were scared of me?" Claud made more attacks anyway. Battlin' Boxer Shadow destroyed Nopenguin, while CXyz Pandorian Hope skewered the mirror-winged Guard Penguin(4/0/1200). "I dont want you to be affraid of me, or for me! I just want to be a team again!" Claud placed a trap card down and passed the turn to her. He could not honor his promise this turn.

"...I want the same. But not like this, not in this fake world." Rita took a deep breath, relaxed her body and calmed her thoughts. "Azar, nothing else will cut it anymore. I have to do it. I will do it." Her hand waited above her deck. "!?" Azar picked up the subtle glow on top of the deck. "Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" Rita had drawn the spell and activated it. Whatever consequences this held, everyone was about to find out. "I rank-up Ragnazero in the graveyard, to Xyz-summon Ragnafinity!" The 103rd Number evolved into its chaosnumber form, the dark ice witch(5/2800/2400) of death. "It.." She experienced a brief spell of dizziness as the Seventh One resolved, a condition she managed to push through. "I activate the effect of Ragnafinity! Claud, you are going to take damage equal to the difference between your monsters current and original attackpoints. Then that monster will be banished!" The only target could be CXyz Pandorian Hope. It had 6600 attackpoints more than what was printed on the card. Claud wouldn't be able to withstand this damage.

"I can not let you go through with, Rita! I activate the counter trap; XYZ Block! I detach a material from my Xyz-monster to negate your monsters effect!" CXyz Pandorian(5500/0) removed one attached card from his shield and held it up to intercept Ragnafinity's red scythe. "No. My decision is made!" Rita chained to Clauds counter trap, with another counter trap. "Dark Bribe!" Claud was offered a bribe, he had to draw a card from his deck. In return, Dark bribe negated Clauds XYZ Block trap. "Rita.." So while he did gain a present from her after all, he had to let CXyz Pandorian Hope go. Ragnafinity's scythe broke through the shield and cut into the Hope warrior. Clauds monster was banished, and he took 5500 points of damage. "Aarghh!" The only reason he survived was the fact that he had made CXyz Pandorian weaker by detaching 1 of its materials.

Clauds LP: 100

"I.. I see." The destruction of his Chaos Xyz monster had granted Claud another gift. "See?" Azar stepped closer. Just like when he had dueled Subito, it seemed like Claud had become more of himself with every lost lifepoint. Either that or the destruction of CXyz Pandorian Hope lessened Pandora's hold over him "Yes. Everything..almost everything." The memories were foggy and out of order. What mattered was that they rang true to him. "You..were right. It was Pandora.." Even the darkness in between lives was true. "I died, she made me live again. No..that's not it." Only now did Claud feel like he was in control fo his own body. Only now did he feel 'alive'. "I am me again..."

"Not possible." Necara couldn't believe it either. "You are him, you were not before. Why?" Claud was trying to tell them that he was really the man that died now and not some recreation? Necara could not accept that. "I know as little as you. I remember falling, and then it all became a blur. It's like some other Claud was in control of my body until now, and now he is me again." He remembered what the other Claud had done, their experiences were fused.. for now. It could not be explained, just called for what it was. "It is a miracle." Azar smiled, for now he knew there were still mysteries out there. There was something not even Pandora could predict.

"I.." Yet a shadow fell over this victory. "I can hear her." Rita had been punished for her use of The Seventh One. The Infinite was in her mind. "Her? Oh no, Rita. Fight it!" Their positions had reversed, now Pandora was trying to control her. "I can't. It's too much! I have to..I have to end this!" She moved into the battle phase and sent Number C103 on an attack run against Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter. "Urgh." Claud still felt the presence too. Pandora's will was trying to force him to counter her attack. "Rita. I.." He had one counter trap left. If he used it now, she would lose the duel and become like he was before. "Use your card! Anything, I am about to win this!" He could not let that happen! "What? I..." Rita had a set trap left too. One that would not have had much use before and did not have much use now, as far as she saw. "Why I.. gah!" She activated it anyway, because Claud wanted her too. "I activate Wall of Disruption! Your monsters lose 800 attackpoints for each monster on the field!" The disruptive wall affected both Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter(0/1400) and Shadow(200/1400).

"Good Now.." Claud activated his trap card. "Last Counter! When a Boxer is attacked, I can sacrifice it! Then another Boxer I control gains attackpoints equal to your attackers attackpoints and he will counterattack!" Switchhitter dove away from the battlefield, and the Shadowboxer took his place. "Huh!?" Shadow(3000/1400) added Ragnafinity's powers to his own and landed a devastating counterblow against the Chaosnumber, sending her to an early grave. "Why? This way you will still win!" Necara shouted. Divided Wall only lessened the battle damage Rita would nornally have taken, Claud could still finish her off on his next turn now that she was out of monsters.

Rita's LP: 1000

"No. The opposite. Last Counter has a drawback. It makes me take damage equal to the attackpoints that the Battlin Boxer gained." 2800 attackpoints were stored inside the Counter trap and it was ready to go off. "You..wanted to lose?" Clauds actions took on a whole new meaning. "NO! Not again! Not this way again!" Rita began to cry. Just like before, against Babylon, Claud saved her life at the cost of his own. "Why do you..why do you have so many of those cards! Why do you let me live? It should be me that.." Last Counter and Memory of an Adversary, Clauds traps always led to selfdestruction. "No. I am already dead. You have to live for me, live beyond me. You have them now, they need you. You were always the better one" He smiled and let the Last Counter trap do what it had to. "No. That is not true!I need _you_, Y.." The trap exploded in the middle of Rita's pleas, drowning the field in noise and flames. "Claud!"

Clauds LP: 0

Rita waded through the flames, she did not care if they burned. "Claud, where are you!? Claud!" Finally she found him, lying halfconscious near the edge of the building. "No!" She ran to him. She would not leave him, not this time. Rita grabbed him by the shoulders and held him tightly. "Claud Renner, don't you dare go when I just got you back!" She tried to sound upser with him, but there was no rage to bring up. There were only tears. "Rita. I can't stay. I was only sent here.. to save you." Claud said. He sounded tired and pleased. "Sent? By who? Where will you go!?" Rita was desperate, yet he was happy? How could he be? "I will see you again Rita, I am sure of it. But not now. Not yet. You are as young as you want to be." He started to laugh. "I am just glad that I got to talk to you again, before the real end. I.. I liked being with you, Rita." It was with those words... that Claud Renner passed away. "No.." Rita covered her mouth with her hands, letting out muffled cried. "No! Nonono!" She shook the body. "You.." The heart was not beating anymore. Both minds were gone.. Death had taken him.

"Why.." The first time, Rita had gone through more agonizing sensations than she had gone through in all previous years of her life. This time she did not even know what emotion this was. There was nothing to deny, nothing to hate or fear. There was just a hole where Claud once used to be. "Pandora!" There did not have to be. "I know you have brought him back before! You can do it again!" She called for help from the one she would never have asked for anything before now. "Rita! What are you asking?!" Azar yelled even as he understood perfectly fine why she was doing this. "Can you bring him back? Can any of you?" But to get Claud back once again, Rita was willing to go to any length. She was willing to serve Pandora.

"She did not bring him back this time." Necara said out of the blue. "Did not? Why would you.." Rita wanted to yell at her for suggesting something like that. Except.. she was right.

"He is gone." The word came from the 'goddess' herself. "What?!" With the cracking of thunder in the skies, Pandora appeared right before the duelist trio. She stood over Clauds body and stared at it with bewilderment. The very weather seemed to reflect a troubled state. "I do not have him..anymore." Pandora stated. Rita's face turned pale...

(To be Continued in Cipher 209: Transience)

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley  
**Nopenguin

-  
Forced Back  
Wall of Disruption

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher

-  
XYZ Block  
Last Counter


	44. Cipher 209: Transient

**(Cipher 43) 209: Transcience**

"You do not have him anymore? How?" Rita was not sure she had heard Pandora correctly. Pandora had 'lost' Claud? What did that even mean?! But Rita, for all her grief, was not the only one to have been dealt a great blow. "I do not know. I do not understand. He was here, and then he wasn't." There was something in its world, in this universe, that the Infinite could not explain.

It was a bizarre sight to see confusion written on 'her' face, to hear fear in Its voice. It almost looked like Pandora could break down at any moment. "You tried to hold him back, didn't you?" It was an edge that Azar would use. "When you saw how I dueled Subito, you gave everyone new Numbers to strengthen your control over them. When that failed for Claud, you made him summon the Pandorian Hope card so he would have to deny his own death. That did not work either." There was a reason for everything that had happened to Claud, and Pandora had not been it. "Somehow the real Claud came back, not the one you made. You could not keep that Claud in control anymore." Wherever Claud was, he was free from Pandora.. forever. The Infinite would not be able to recreate him or his Overhundred Number. The card of Number 105 lied on the rooftop, withered and grey. That entity had disappeared to who knew where. It had not found a new host.

"No I.." Pandora had no response, another phenomenon new to it. "This was a freak occurence. A flaw in the system." Once that episode passed she started to search for answers, and forgiveness. "Rita. I know what you are feeling right now. I did not want this to happen either. I can make him better, I can! I just need time. You trust me. You do.." It pleaded, holding Rita's hands with its own. "Stay away from me!" Rita wanted nothing to do with it, she did not even want to be touched. "Stay away from us! Everything you do is... is wrong! You don't know a single thing about love! Just get the hell out of our life!" Rita screamed until she could scream no more. Whatever control Pandora had tried to assert over her during the duel had been broken with Clauds last words.

"You mean it." The Infinite did not respond with anger, or intimidation. There was only a slight hint of pain. "This is nothing. Everyone will see.. I. I..I will not let death win." Yet it defied Rita's wishes. Pandora grabbed Claud. "NO! Give him back!" Rita tried to take back Claud, but she was pushed back by an invisible wall of energy. "Pandora! You cannot control the whole universe! This is how it always has been!" Azar shouted at her to stop as well. "Then that has to change, and I will change it. I _can_ change it!" Pandora swore, before teleporting away. "No! You can't.." Rita's arm stretched out to where Claud had been moments ago. He was gone, this was not how it was supposed to be.

".. There is nothing more we can do, Rita." Azar yelled. Had it been any other time, he would have tried to be less forceful. Yet with Pandora distracted, they had to use their time well. Azar knew that Rita was stronger than she thought she was. "You..want me to let go? How _dare_ you!.." Getting her angrier was a necessary step as well. "Whatever Pandora has, it will not bring Claud back. Wherever Claud is now, it is beyond Its reach. If we are lucky It will focus all attention on this problem. We would be free to defeat the remaining overhundred numbers and save Ariel, Ion and Xander! Nobody else needs to be hurt!" Subito had died because he had pushed himself beyond his limits. The others should not pass away just from losing their Numbers, Azar reasoned. "Nobody but Ion." There was a gap in that logic, which Necara reminded Azar of. Ion was the same as Claud. He was one of Pandora's revived. "We will cross that bridge when we get there."

"You are right." To Azars surprise, Rita had calmed down already. He did not think he would get this result so quickly. "That is how you feel?" He could not tell if she was lying to him, not without reading her thoughts. Azar did not want to go that far. "Yes. Claud is not here anymore. I get it now." She smiled slightly. "Call the others already."

...

Dakar was in two places at once. Ruby and Korose had passed their trials, he could now undergo his of the remaining Echoes was chosen by Dakar; a thin figure in concealing robes. He was dragged down into the subconscious world. Whoever this Echo was in his previous life, the mindscape of his choice was no sight for sore eyes. It was a large building in ruins, set ablaze. They stood outside in the blackened gardens. The only safe fixture was the small platform of debris that Dakar stood on. "You chose the right man!" A cackling gleeful voice came from underneath the hood. "Like you, I am an agent of death. We know Him intimately!" A boney withered hand emerged from one of the cloaks sleeves. If it had not been for his youthfulvoice, Dakar would have thought this man was as a century old. "Agent of death?" Ignoring that, his words did not sit well with Dakar either.

"You are in the funeral business, aren't you? Your family has seen plenty of corpses and heard plenty of wails. In another world, some of those people might have been my victims." The cloak laughed again. "What?" As if Dakar was not unsettled enough yet. "Oh come now, don't be squeamish. My past does not matter to me and you! The trial does! I was simply saying that, in another universe, we would have been the perfect pair! Like me you have to keep your true self hidden, but deep down you like death." Cracking noises came from under the robe as the man moved his head from left to right. "So for this trial, things will be different for both of us! We like things to end, but it never will. Life will never deplete, nothing but a full measure of death can end this fight! The deck will never run out, no deck destruction tactics work here! Those are the demands of your opponent, the Dueling Reaper!"

Dakars LP: 8000 Reapers LP: 8000

After the Reaper placed one monster down, Dakar could begin his turn. "I enjoy death? You have gotten the wrong impression." He did not have to alter his deck much, but he was wondering how far this handicap went. "And no life can be taken?" He summoned Gravekeepers Spear Soldier(4/1500/1000) and activated Necrovalley. The Valley boosted the Soldier(2000/1500)'s powers. Dakar made that monster attack the enemy's face-down monster. "Indeed!" The soldiers spear snapped as it hit the body of a tiny white rabbit(1/150/2050) with bloodshot red eyes. It was a Bunilla monster, and Dakar could not kill it. "Tch." Dakar should have lost 50 lifepoints during that attack, but... his lifepoints remained unchanged._ "I can't take damage? No, that isn't it." _Dakar had noticed a very quick drop of points that was immediately cancelled out. "Any damage is immediately undone?" To win, to make his life stay down, he would need to inflict 8000 points of damage or more, in one go. "..I set a card in my spell/trap zone and end my turn."

"You get it. Now, of course, I am not going to wait around for you to die like that." The Reapers turn started and he activated the card he drew in his draw phase. "Heart of the Underdog! Now what could this mean, hmm?" He chuckled as he placed another monster face down and ended his turn. "There are few reasons to run a card like that, Reaper." If he took the opponents preference for defensive monsters into account, Dakar could only come up with one conclusion. "You are an Exodia user." An alternate win condition was another method to break through the limit of this trial. "Bingo! I am the Dueling Reaper, the king of the One-Turn Kill. And I have killed many. You should feel honored to be my last victim! You will finally get to experience death for yourself!" Dakars opponent erupted into another fit of laughter. "You will have to forgive me for rejecting your offer. Everyone dies, I know. But I intend to go peacefully. Not like this." Dakar activated the spell card, Card Destruction. "Hm?" Both players had to swap the cards in their hands with new cards from their deck.

"Oh no! You got me!" The Reaper discarded four cards, including a piece of Exodia. His Left Leg. "..is what you would like to hear, right? Remember what I said? The deck does not run out! During each endphase, the cards we discard will return to our deck! Necrovalley cannot stop this condition! And thanks to you.. " The Reaper happily revealed one of his new four cards, the Head of Exodia the Forbidden One. "You drew the only effect-monster out of the five parts. Damn." Depending on how many spells or traps the Reaper had in his deck, he could draw all four remaining pieces in his next draw phase already! Heart of the Underdog allowed a player to keep drawing during his draw phase if the drawn cards were normal monsters. All of the Reapers monsters had been normal so far. Heart of the Underdog was probably his only spell card too. _"It's more like he chose this challenge to maximize his profits."_ Dakars standard style did not work well in this situation, while the Reaper gained a lot from it.

"I know what to do." As he controlled a field spell he could special summon Malefic Stardust Dragon, the armored sinful dragon(8/2500/2000) from his hand by banishing the original Stardust Dragon from the extra deck. "I also summon Plaguespreader Zombie from my graveyard by placing one of my cards on top of my deck." Dakar returned a random spell to his deck, and brought out the carrier zombie(2/400/200) that he had discarded before with Card Destruction. Necrovalley did not stop cards that took themselves out of the graveyard. "And now.." Dakar flipped his trap card, Aegis of Gaia, gaining 3000 lifepoints while that continuous trap stayed on his field. "You realize restoring your life will not save you from Exodia either?" The Reaper was curious why Dakar would use such a card

Dakars LP: 11000

"What is it, to you? This card is not breaking your rules, is it? You will understand.. now. I have three monsters, precisely what I need to tribute summon one of my Divine Beasts!" Malefic Stardust was tributed along with the Gravekeepers Spear Soldier and Plaguespreader Zombie. "Divine Beast? What is that thing!?" The Reaper for once was not grinning, as the trio of sacrifices formed a golden sphere(10/0/0) in the air. "This is the Winged Dragon of Ra, the third of the three god cards. It demands three sacrifices to be normal summoned and can not be special summoned. But.." Sounds came from within the sphere. The outer shell was folding outwards like a pair of wings. "When it is summoned, I can give up all but 100 of my lifepoints. Those lifepoints will be added to Ra as attackpoints!" Dakar disappeared from his place on the duel field, like a wisp of smoke. "My life will become his power!" Dakar shouted as his body re-emerged on top of the dragons head. The mighty sundragon(10900/0) had revealed his true golden dragonic form.

"These are not the extents of its powers, Reaper!" The 10900 lifepoints that Dakar had payed were immediately returned to him. "By paying 1000 lifepoints, the great Ra can destroy any living monster!" Dakar payed 1000 of his lifepoints twice to target Bunilla and the other face-down monster. "You are.." A phoenix of flames was formed from a golden ring on the gods back. "Not joking?" The Phoenix wiped out both of the Reapers monsters. The life Dakar had to pay to do so was also immediately replenished. "This is what you wanted, Reaper! The full measure of death!" Now Ra collected divine sun-fire to attack the enemy with. "Direct attack!" The Reaper was given 10900 points of damage, more than he could heal back. A One-Turn Kill had been made.

Reapers LP: 0

"I don't understand." The hooded duelist was physically unharmed by the flames. Mentally, he had difficulties coming to terms with his loss. "Why bring me back, if I do not get to add another name to my list. Who was supposed to die, if not you!?" His boney hand stretched out. "The goal of these trials was not to kill us, was it?" Dakar dismissed Ra and kept his distance from the Reaper. "And this should be.. ?!" That was when Dakar felt a tremor that ran through this entire hellish wasteland. "No, not this." This sensation was not new to Dakar, it was terrifyingly recent. A similar pulse had hit him, when Subito had died. "Oh. If not you then..heheh. Someone else?" The reaper enjoyed the emotions displayed by Dakar. "Send me back, I must return now!" Dakar demanded. It could have been anyone who died, even.. "If that is what the victor wishes. But you should know..." The reaper raised one finger. ".. there is one more trial. The last Echo is waiting for any of you who has succeeded before. If you do not come, you will not get what you want and you will forever lose.."

...

"Ariel!" The first word that came out of Dakars mouth when he returned to the real world, was uttered out of sheer horror. "Dakar? Dakar it's okay!..its not her." Ruby immediately came to him. Oddly she already seemed to be aware of what troubled him. "How..what do you know?" Ruby and Korose were not connected to the Seven, so how could either have found out one more of them had died? "Azar messaged us. He reached Korose on the D-pad network and opened a private chatroom. It was Claud who.." Ruby stopped to listen to what she was saying herself. "No. That's not okay, is it. I'm sorry, I thought any good news would be welcome." It did not matter that it was not his sisters death, it was still a tragedy. "Claud? He..why?" Dakar refused to feel any relief. "I have no specifics to pass on from Azar." Korose approached. "He explained to me how Claud and Subito died. Subito fell because he pushed himself too far, to save the others. Claud realized he was never meant to be brought back, and passed on." Korose wished it could have been better news, but that was what Azar had said. "I know this is not much of a comfort, but I believe this does not mean that Ariel and Xander will suffer the same fate. I only fear for what will happen to Ion..real or not." Either way there was nothing they could do for Claud and Subito.

"Wait. How can Azar be talking to us, wasn't he saying that Pandora would be monitoring every network?" Dakar changed the subject. "He says something happened with Pandora that allowed him to call us. He was hoping we had all finished the trials and that we could reunite some place else. We should not duel anyone but the Seven now, because our lives and theirs are connected. We lose lifepoints, we will not gain it back after a duel." There were four of them now, and four opponents remained. They had to take good care of their lifepoints. "Is he online right now?" Dakar asked. Korose nodded. "Tell him.." Dakar looked at the shadowy figures that were still around them. "The Echoes demand one more trial. I don't think Azar can open the portal before then. I also know a place where we can meet.."

"I shall." Korose started typing on the pad. "I..hrm." His first message got through. That was not the problem. "I can not get a signal anymore." The fact that the D-pad lost its connection to the network right after that was. "Can't? The D-pad is glitching out on us now, of all times? I find that hard to believe." Ruby said with a grumble. There were coincidences and then there was this. "We were cut off." Korose also understood very well that this was not random error. There was a form of technology that could shut down long-range communications, a technology the agency was fond of using. "A barrier."

"They are here." Too late, Dakar had checked for signs of other Numbers too late. "Some of them are." Two Overhundred Numbers were nearby, there was no mistaking his senses now. Even the Echoes stared off into a distance beyond the walls of the haunted house. They felt the same power. "Do you think they spotted us? Maybe your illusion wore off too quick while you were doing that trial?" It was not as if Ruby could tell when an illusion was on or not from the inside. "No. It's not that. Pandora might still have been listening in on us after all. Or the Seven already suspected us to be here and put up a shield around the entire region to cut us off. Xander can pull something like that off if he has enough time. If the barrier is that big and strong, I wont be able to teleport through it." Azar would not be able to get inside either. "And what if Xander is dragged into a duel? Would that kind of distraction make him less focused on keeping that cage of his up?" Ruby asked. "It would weaken it over time. But what are you saying, Ruby?"

"I am saying maybe we need to make our stand here." Ruby activated her D-pad. "I did the trial, so now I can challenge one of them, right? Let me take care of Xander right now."

...

"Damn it!" Azar shouted as he noticed the connection had broken off on his end. "They know they're there. A barrier closed them off!" He had not gotten the time to ask Korose where they would meet. He did not think they could escape anyway. "If this is about Xander and Ariel, I can tell you where they are." If Korose and the others had been found, then Rita could simply point Azar to the 'finders'. "That is the only course we can take now, yes. Where.."

"Azar."

"?!" Before Azar could shut his D-pad off, he received a new message. It was a vocal one. "..Darcy?" He was surprised. This voice belonged to miss Lawless. He had also nearly forgotten about her. He did not think she was included in the overall trial, though he still expected her to be see them as an enemy. "Everything has gotten out of hand. Pandora will not... I want to help you." She sounded sincere, to Azar. "What? You think we are gonna trust you after all you did?" To Rita, not as much. "There is no time to argue. I don't know when she will stop me..if she will stop me. But she got to everyone else, all the guards here are... They aren't dead, but.. It's better if you come see yourself."

(To be Continued in Cipher 210: Six Ways to Five figures)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Plaguespreader Zombie  
The Winged Dragon of Ra

-  
Aegis of Gaia

**Cards used by the Reaper  
**Bunilla  
Exodia the Forbidden One

-  
Heart of the Underdog


	45. Cipher 210: Six Ways to Five Figures

**(Cipher 44) 210: Six Ways to Five figures**

Azar and the others entered the lower levels of the agents headquarters. Azar carried Shin while he was still unconscious. He was not the only one. "Wh-what happened?" All those who worked at this building were out, sleeping on the ground or against the walls. Even the enforcers. "Did Pandora do this?" Rita did not know why they were unconscious, but only someone like her could have caused this. "She did." Her suspicions were confirmed by a weakening voice. "Darcy!?" Azar saw her, resting in one of the chairs. "You trusted me. I am glad." She smiled, vaguely.

"It is not a trap then." Necara saw that Darcy was clearly in no condition to duel anyone, she could barely stay awake. "I couldn't. I do not have an overhundred Number." Darcy had seen how they dueled by now, so had Pandora. "She told me that I would not make a difference, even if I dueled one of you, I could not take any of your lifepoints away." Pandora had not said why this was, but Pandora had never lied to her before. "Then the same goes for..me." Necara reasoned. She suspected that even if she did defeat one of the Seven, their Overhundred Number would just go to another host. Rita and Azar had permanently defeated Numbers 107 and 105 with the blessing from the Echoes.

"Pandora? What did she do to you?" Azar was more concerned with what was going on. "She.. has put everyone to sleep, almost everyone.. My Numbers give me better control over my body, so I can keep myself awake a little longer. So I can help you." Darcy's trembling hand handed them a USB stick. "Take this. It's all I could find on the mainframe. It's about the Probe. I do not know..where it is being built, or how many there are. But I know why she did this. She has to focus. She cannot be distracted by other thoughts right now." With this many people unconscious, all efforts were diverted to the Probe and to the Seven. "The Probe? What do you know about it? Are there still people awake to work on it?" If anyone was conscious right now, it would be those people. "She is building it herself. You are running out of time, the Probe is close to completion. It launches today, within..." Darcy had said all she could. "Within?"The girl closed her eyes and passed out in her chair, before the last bit of info could be released. "Damn it!"

"We have to go to Dakar, now!"

...

Xander did not consider himself very driven or energetic, but he did see himself as a pragmatic man. When confronted with a target who could make himself invisible, he did not see any point to wasting time searching every square inch of the region. It was much more efficient to capture the target within a forcefield, so they could not get away. He knew that Dakar had not fled yet, because he would have sensed that. Had it been a less populated area, Ions powers could have helped flush them out. Instead Xander simply made the circumference of his barrier smaller with each minute. These kinds of barriers could only hold someone with a Number, others would not even see or feel it. Illusion or not, there was no hiding something like a Overhundred number. Walking in a straight line to the center of the city, sooner or later he would find the unfaithful owner of Number 104. Xander already had narrowed down his search area to the amusement park.

"Hey Xander!" The downside of making his barrier specific to Number-users only, was that non-Number users could pass right through. "You managed to find me! So how about a duel!?" Ruby could just pass through the forcefield and walk up to Xander. "Ruby!" He had not seen her until the barrier pulled off the invisibility spell around her. "Where are the others?" Logic dictated that Dakar could not be far behind. "Do you even know how many of us you are chasing? Eh, it doesn't matter. You are out of luck if you think I will just tell you." She took a deck of cards and inserted it into her D-pad. "You're gonna have to settle for me. And hey I am just as much of a threat to you as Azar is." She knew Xander could not ignore her now that a duel had been demanded. His Number would not let him.

Ruby's LP: 8000 Xanders LP: 8000

"You are just here for that, are you? You will not try to talk me out of it?" Xander was not completely taken by surprise, which was why he already had activated his own D-pad and gathered a deck of cards. "Talking is not my specialty. Dueling is. Obvious choice is obvious. I am feeling generous too, so you can have the first turn." Ruby did not just want to duel, she wanted to have the first battle phase as well. "I guessed nothing less of you. But do not assume I am unaware of your real motivation." Xander placed one monster down on his field and ended the turn. "You are a pawn who is sacrificing himself to let the more useful pieces get away."

"You know.." Ruby activated the Fire Formation Tenki continuous spell card to add a Beastwarrior from her deck to her hand, and to give 100 attackpoints to all her beastwarriors. "People calling me a sacrifice is getting real old! Nobody tells me what to do! Besides, I know who the real pawn here is!" She normal summoned the added monster; the muscular beastwarrior of the Fire Fist Brotherhood - Caribou(4/1200/2000). "Attack!" Caribou smashed his spiked club into Xanders set monster. "I shall retract my statement then. Now, about your attack.." The crushed monster was a small hand connected to larger hand(4/1600/1000); one part mechanical and the other made from flames. "You killed Fire Hand. It destroys a monster when it is destroyed itself." The Fire Hands flames spread and overtook Caribou's own fire and body. "Geh." The Fire Fist warrior was reduced to ashes. "And Fire Hand then special summons Ice Hand from my deck." The molten lava hand inverted its temperature, creating a hand(4/1400/1600) of frozen ice. "Yeah? A destroyed Caribou can special summon a monster too; another member of the Brotherhood!" Ruby placed one trap card down and ended her turn. During the endphase, Caribou's effect was used to summon the warrior Gorilla(4/1700/1000) from the Brotherhood of the Fire Fist.

"Hm. You have noticed my new deck, havent you?" Xander gave her a question, as he started his turn and normal summoned another monster. That was Magic Hand(4/800/1600), a closed box. "Am I supposed to be impressed?" Ruby did not see the point in him asking that. "No. Concerned maybe." Xander activated a spell card, one he had drawn this turn. It was the continuous spell card, Cracking. "I prepare cards for each opponent I might face. The deck I wield right now was tailored to face you." Xander entered the battle phase. "Huh?" Ice Hand crawled forward and shattered itself upon Fire Fist Gorilla's body. It was the weaker of the two, but its effect made up for the loss. "When Ice Hand is destroyed, one of your traps or spells goes along with it." The broken ice fell down and impaled Ruby's face-down Kickfire trap card. "And Fire Hand is summoned." Xanders second hand of flames(4/1600/1000) was special summoned from his deck.

Xanders LP: 7700

"A cycle of fire and ice?" Ruby just groaned. She hated hard-to-get-rid-of cards. Especially when her deck favored destruction effects. "I get something out of this as well, Xander! Once a turn, when Gorilla kills a monster, I can set one Fire Formation spell card from my deck face-down on my field!" Ruby chose to set a second Tenki Formation spell. "Yes, nicely done. There is more to come however." Xander made the new Fire Hand attack Ruby's beastwarrior as well. "Tsk." Gorilla had to kill Fire Hand in battle, and trigger its monster destruction effect. The hand destroyed Gorilla, of course. "Once every turn, when Cracking is on the field while my opponent loses a monster to an effect, that duelist loses 800 lifepoints!" The destruction of Gorilla was followed up by a shot of electric energy. "Gah!"

Ruby's LP: 7200 Xanders LP: 7600

Naturally, Xander special summoned a second Ice Hand(4/1400/1600) from his deck after the Fire Hand had blown up. "I declare a direct attack with Ice Hand and Magic Hand." The icy claw swept past Ruby with a streak of cold energy. Next a red magic hand popped out like a jack-in-the box and pushed Ruby down against the ground. "Ack!"

Ruby's LP: 4800

"Now before I end my turn. I activate a spell card, Absolute Designator! You can add any card you want from your deck to your hand, while I can place any card I want on top of mine." With this spell Xander placed, of course, Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One on top of his deck. "Okay, there has got to be a catch here." Meanwhile Ruby added a Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo card to her hand. "In a way, there is. I triggered Magic Hands effect." The jack-in-the-box opened once again. "Magic Hand can send one card to the graveyard that is added to a players hand. Added, not drawn." The magical hand snatched Buffalo away. "Hey! Rgh!" She lost another 600 lifepoints, but not because of Xanders continuous spell. As that one only monitored deaths on the field."I should have mentioned, Magic Hand inflicts 600 points of damage when it sends a card to the graveyard." Xander helpfully explained.

Ruby's LP: 4200

_Absolute Designator, Normal Spell  
__You and your opponent declares 1 card name each; activate 1 of the appropriate effects  
__* If the declared card is in his/her deck, add 1 of that card to your opponent's hand.  
__* If the declared card is in your deck, place it on top of your deck._

"Great. If these cards were meant for me alone, you must think I am not a very serious opponent." The Hand-things were wackier even than those weird Golems Xander used in the past. "Nothing of the sort, Ruby. I do not take you or anyone else lightly." Xander said. Still, you can admit that they fit the tone set by this battlefield." They were standing in the middle of this funpark, surrounded by carousels and animatronics. "Yes, hilarious." Ruby muttered under her breath. She never liked these places. Then again, she did not get to leave home very often in her younger years. "On the other hand they do not fit you at all. I mean, nothing personal Xander. I am sure you're a nice guy, but you were always kinda boring to be around."

"I suppose I might be to you. That just does not matter to me when I arrange my deck." Her words made Xander shrug. He just used whatever was beneficial at the moment. "Heh.. what does matter is that you need an actual card effect to put The Seventh One on top of your deck. I guess you aren't as strong as you used to be!" In the past he could simply have forced The Seventh One to come to him, not so right now. "You are correct. The seven of us are at their strongest together. Take one of us away, and we weaken as a whole." Xander finally ended his turn, after he placed a trap card down. "You mean..Subito and Claud. Is that all their deaths mean to you; a loss of power?" Xander did not even sound broken up about it. "I do not like to express my anguish, though I do consider it a great tragedy. They were my comrades.. Even if in Subito's case, I saw it coming. He led himself to ruination."

"Do not talk about Subito that way. You don't deserve to!" She drew her card and placed it face-down in the zone. Then she activated the set Fire Formation Tenki spell. Tenki added Fire King Avatar Yaksha to her hand. She normal summoned the Avatar(4/2000/200), powered by both Tenkis, and quickly pushed into the battle phase. "Subito was ten times the man you or me will ever be!" Yaksha attacked, smacking Magic Hand and its box into a nearby wall and destroying it. "End turn!"

Xanders LP: 6400

"He was a braver man than me, I know." Xander almost looked remorseful, for a second. "But not a man who followed logic. He could not let go of his feelings when he should've." Xander, at last, drew the Seventh One and revealed it to Ruby. "I do apologize for the way I talk, but I do not intend to follow his example. He would not want us to fail! I activate my Rank-Up-Magic card!" Xanders spell targeted Number 106 in his extra deck and evolved into the chaotic arm of lava: Giant Red Hand(5/2600/2000). "Your Number doesnt scare me, Xander!" Ruby shouted. "I wouldn't say that so hastily, Ruby." Xander took another card from his hand, Gogogo Golem(4/1800/1500), and normal summoned it. Then he selected another card in his hand. "When Ice, Fire or Magic Hand are under my control, Prominence Hand can be special summoned to the field." A metallic two-sided claw(4/600/2000) scuttled across the pavement, responding to the presence of Ice Hand. "I Xyz-summon Antiluminescent Knight Cairngorgon!" Gogogo Golem and Prominence Hand were overlayed. Gold metal and green brickstone poured together to form a corrupted knight(4/2450/1950) of diamonds, prisms and minerals. "Let's conclude it. I declare an attack.." Xander sent Ice Hand out to smash itself dead against the staff of Fire King Yaksha.

Xanders LP: 5800

"Again?" Ruby watched as Ice Hand's effect targeted the only card in her spell/trap zone. "You asked for it!" She shouted and flipper her trap face-up. "I activate Safe Zone! Any monster the Zone targets can not be destroyed or attacked!" A spaceship flew into the air and emitted a barrier. "That wont do you any good now, Ruby." Ice Hand would still break the continuous trap, whether it was face-up or face-down. "Not for me.. That is why I am targeting _your_ monster!" Safe Zone was cast down on Giant Red Hand. "The monster that Safe Zone defends, must be banished if the Safe Zone goes away!" This way Xander would indirectly get rid of his own Chaosnumber. "Ah, quite clever of you. Alas.." Xander detached one material from his other Xyz-monster. "Cairngorgon can manipulate the targets of effects! It switches Safe Zone to another appropriate target: Fire King Avatar Yaksha!" The Anti-knight released a flash of prismatic light which clashed with Safe Zone's barrier. "Damn it!" The Zone came down on Yaksha. Now when Ice Hand's effect finally resolved and the continuous trap was destroyed, Yaksha was destroyed along with it. Then, thanks to the effect of the Cracking spell, Ruby was sapped of another 800 lifepoints.

Ruby's LP: 3400

"Don't get so full of yourself! When you destroyed my Fire King, the effect of a monster in my hand is triggered! Fire King Avatar Garunix summons itself!" Ruby special summoned a monster from her hand in defense position; a red-feathered garuda bird(3/700/1700). "One of my cards was triggered too, Ruby." Xander revealed a continuous trap: Chain Ignition. "I observed your recorded duels in the tournaments. Your Fire Kings favor selfdestruction, that is why I added this trap. Chain Ignition can destroy one card when one of your monsters is destroyed by your own card effects!" Within the same chain, Chain Ignition set off a series of explosions that travelled all the way to Garunix and blasted it to a pile of smoldering feathers. "Then you must also know this, Garunix can special summon another Fire King Avatar when something kills it! It can be an effect or an attack, it isn't picky!" The destroyed Garunix Avatar called a second copy of itself(3/700/1700) to her field in defense position.

"Interesting. It would seem luck is on your side." Xander entered the battle phase with a less than vulnerable opponent. "If one were to believe in such a thing." The Fire Hand(4/1600/1000), that the destroyed Ice Hand had special summoned, attacked and killed the second Fire King Avatar Garunix. "Go!" Ruby activated that Garunix' effect to special summon the third and last Garunix(3/700/1700) from her deck in defense mode. "Again then." Xander made Cairngorgon crush that bird with its zirconian pillar arm. "One more!" The last Garunix special summoned another Fire King Avatar from her deck, Kirin(3/1000/200). "..." The white fire horse was pulverized by an attack from Giant Red Hand. The effect that a destroyed had sent a fire monster from the deck to the grave. Kirin sent a Volcanic Shell. "You have always been very resistant. Yet you can not deny that your chances are slim, Ruby. You came into this duel, expecting to lose. In fact, why would you continue to fight? I can understand why the others have joined Azar. Even Korose, as he must feel indebted to Azar. But I do not know why you are so defiant."

"You have to ask me that?" Ruby's turn came up again, though Xander had to say more to her apparently. "I have listened to Azar time and time again. Why should we yearn for what he proposes? We all know the earth of the past. A world full of violence and pain, that is what we will get without our Numbers."

"But it is _our _world, Xander! Not theirs! Maybe we can coexist, that is what some friends of mine liked to believe before they went nuts. But we need to be equals! I will not let some high and mighty hologram lady dictate what I can and can't do!" Ruby activated the spell card, Swords of Burning Light. The spell made it rain swords of flame around Xander, keeping him and his monsters at bay as long as she controlled no monsters of her own. "I've had pain, you've had pain! Maybe you want to forget that, but I.. I do not. I don't want to live in a lie!" She placed a trap card down and ended her turn. "There just has to be another way, Xander. We should not take the easy way out."

"Another way, you say. I believed you said you were not going to try and talk with me, yet here you are. Almost as if.." Xander paused, looking he suddenly recalled something urgent. "You are diverting my power." Whatever it had been, he had realized it too late. "A group of four have broken through my barrier from the eastside." Xander now understood why Ruby had dragged him into a duel. "Oh, so they made it in. Good." Ruby was pretty pleased with herself. It sounded like Azar had succeeded in teleporting to their location. "Did you know that Number 106's barriers weaken over time? Or was it a guess?" Xander had not been able to keep the forcefield at its maximum strength because his Number was using its power elsewhere. "I remember Korose once telling me, so the former." She smirked. "Hm. Well, I would not celebrate just yet. We anticipated a setback. I have the fullest confidence that Ion and Ariel will be able to to stop them now that I failed to..."

(To be Continued in Cipher 211: Bravery without Fear)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla  
Fire King Avatar Garunix

**New Cards used by the Xander Carson  
**Fire Hand  
Ice Hand  
Magic Hand  
Prominence Hand

-  
Cracking

-  
Chain Ignition


	46. Cipher 211: Bravery without Fear

**(Cipher 45) 211: Bravery without Fear**

Ruby's LP: 3400 Xanders LP: 5800

"So besides stalling, what else are you planning to do?" Xander placed a trap and a monster card face-down on his field and ended his turn. While the Swords of Burning Light spell card was active on Ruby's side, he could not declare any attacks. Not even with Chaosnumber 106 (5/2600/2000). "Oh, thanks for reminding me that I dont need to waste time talking anymore!" In her turn, Ruby activated an effect from her graveyard. "A Volcanic Shell is in my graveyard! By paying 500 lifepoints to activate its effect, I can add another Volcanic Shell to my hand!" Ruby claimed the second of her three Shells. "For what purpose?" It was a rather odd monster to insert into a deck that did not support its archetype.

Ruby's LP: 2900

"So I have some discard fodder!" Ruby eagerly declared. "I activate my trap card, Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, by discarding a card! It can send a card, your Giant Red Hand, back into the deck!" Her trap was revealed and the flames of the phoenix were ignited when Volcanic Shell was sent to the cemetery. "I know your Cairngorgon can choose the targets of card effects. But my trap can only target _your_ monster/spell or trap cards!" If Xander used the effect of his anti-knight(4/2450/1950) to redirect Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, it would have to choose a new target on Xanders side of the field. "So it does." Xander detached the last material from Cairngorgon regardless. The corrupted rock warrior deflected the phoenix and made the trap take Fire Hand(4/1600/1000) back into Xanders deck instead. "Ugh. What does it take to get a rise out of you?" Ruby placed two trap cards down and ended her turn.

"I am simply in control of my emotions and aware of my own limits. I think I know why Subito passed away." Xander normal summoned Gogogo Giant(4/2000/0). The effect of the Giant forced that Gogogo monster into defense mode, while it special summoned another Gogogo monster; Gogogo Golem(4/1800/1500) from the graveyard. "There are two stages of power Pandora granted me to help in my battles. One I should only use with extreme caution. The other.. I could use at any time. I xyz-summon Number 55: Gogogo Goliath!" Gogogo Golem with Gogogo Giant were overlayed; their blocks and metal reshaped to create a castle-sized and shaped goliath(4/2400/1200) made from stone and steel. Its powers added 800 defense points to all monsters on the field. (Giant Red Hand: 2800 def, Cairngorgon the Antiluminescent Knight: 2750 def, Gogogo Goliath: 3200 def)

"Number 55?" Ruby had been afraid of this. "So that is how she keeps you in enslaved!" She had heard about Clauds and Subito's additional Numbers from Azar and Korose. Undoubtedly Ariel and Ion would have their own new Numbers as well, so Pandora could focus more mindcontrol on them. "Ruby..." Xander just sighed. He was not going to touch that subject anymore. "Number 55 can add one monster from my graveyard to my hand." Xander detached one card from the Gogogo-Xyz monster... and from Giant Red Hand. "My Chaosnumber can then activate its own effect. When an effect is activated, Giant Red Hand negates the effects of all cards on the field!" The Chaos hand of magma unleashed a haze of frost. While this did temporarily negate Gogogo Goliath's effects, Xanders gain was that the Swords of Burning Light were no longer active either. "Crap." Xander was free to attack a wide-open Ruby.

"I flip summon a monster now, AbsorbingJar." Xanders face-down monster was flipped to face-up attack position. It was a metallic smiling jar(1/600/500). "Absorbing Jar destroys all set cards on the field, and prevents me from setting new cards this turn. But it also allows us to draw new cards for each card we lose." The Jar opened its lid and started sucking cards into its hollow body. Xanders trap was the first to go, and Ruby's two cards would quickly follow.

"Oh no you don't!" Ruby would only let one be absorbed by the Jar. The other trap she triggered just in time. "I activate Impenetrable Attack!" Of the two abilities this trap had, Ruby chose the second one. "This trap will negate all battle damage I take during this turns battle phase!" Waves of golden light surrounded Ruby, resisting the Absorbing Jars suction forces. "Oh and by the way. The other trap your jar took? That was Prepared Explosives! That card inflicts 1000 points of damage when you destroy it!" The second trap turned out to be a bomb, which exploded in front of the Jar and covered Xanders side in smoke. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" She gloated while Xander was coughing and waving the smoke aside. "No I did not." In the end both players had only lost one card to the Absorbing Jar, so they could only draw one new card from their deck. "That was it then." Xander could not set cards, nor could he inflict damage with his attacks, he might as well end the turn.

Xanders LP: 4800

"Didn't think so. You may be a smart guy, but you never had to struggle much in your life. You don't have a dueling spirit!" Ruby attributed her survival up until this point to that alone. "That is why I dislike 'your' world. It is boring if you can get anything you want without problems! You had me dancing to your beat for a while, so its that much sweeter.." Ruby smirked as she took one last look at the card she had drawn in her draw phase. "When I get something like this! I activate Dark Hole!" Her spell tore a hole in space, creating a massive black hole from which no monster could escape. "Die!" Both Giant Red Hand and the Antiluminescent Knight were pulled in by the singularity's gravity, vanishing beyond the event horizon. Xanders own continuous spell, Cracking, even inflicted 800 points of damage to him because _his_ monsters were destroyed by a card effect. "Ygh. I discard XYZ Gardna from my hand!" Gogogo Goliath had a little more luck than them. "XYZ Gardna detaches Gogogo Goliaths last material to negate its destruction!" The Goliath was weighed down by a shield of rocks and black crystal. It outlasted the Dark Hole.

Xanders LP: 4000

_XYZ Gardna, 4/1000/1000 Dark/Rock  
__If a Xyz-monster with Xyz-material(s) would be destroyed, you can send this card from your hand to the graveyard to detach 1 Xyz-material from that monster instead._

"You are fond of that Number now are you? I can guess why! But that's okay! I heard I only need to take care of your lifepoints to knock some sense into you!" She was starting to feel better about her chances. She could actually win this._ "What am I thinking. Of course I am going to win!" _Ruby placed a trap card down. Next she normal summoned her foxy spy lady in the red dress; Spy-C-Spy. Now that she controlled a monster, the Swords of Burning Light were removed from the field. "When Spy-C-Spy is normal summoned, she'll inspect the attackpoints of one random card in your extra deck!" The Spy gazed into Xanders extra deck, selecting 1 of its 11 remaining monsters. That monster was Soul of SilverMountain, a monster with 1800 attackpoints. "Hmm. If the monster has less than 2000 attackpoints, I gain lifepoints equal to that monsters attack." Eighteen-hundred points were awarded to Ruby. _"That should be plenty..._ I activate another effect from my graveyard!" Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo(4/1700/1000) could summon itself back to her field in defense position by sacrificing her two Fire Formation Tenki spells. "My turn is over!"

Ruby's LP: 4700

"In part you are right, Ruby. I am not a fighter, but a thinker. Though that is an aspect of dueling as well." Xander had always preferred complicated tactics over Ruby's crude overpowering and burning style. "And I had a good life. But so did you. I have no idea what past Azar wanted you to believe to make you join his side. Yet it sounds terrible to me." Xander special summoned Power Giant(6/2200/0), a golem made from crystal blocks of all seven colors. "I reject the notion, like I reject your damage! When Power Giant attacks, he reflects all effect damage until the end of the damage step." Power Giant could summon itself by discarding a card from a players hand, and it(2/2200/0) level was decreased by the level of the discarded monster. In this case that was the level 4 Gogogo Gigas. "I fail to see what is wrong about wanting to give you your perfect life back!" In his battle phase Ice Hand grabbed Buffalo and crushed the fiery beastwarrior with its ice-cold grip. Then Gogogo Goliath raised its stone fists into the air and brought them down upon Spy-C-Spy.

"You fail to see it, because you fail to accept that my life was never perfect! I don't care if 'your world' is better. It'd be unfair to all to everyone who was damaged, if we pretend they never had any problems at all! Judith, Rita, Subito... Pandora did not care about who they were. Only about what she could turn them into!" Ruby sprung her final trap card, right before impact. "Doble Passe! I turn your attack into a direct attack and inflict damage equal to the attackpoints of my attacked monster!" Number 55's ground pound missed the Spy. "Gah!" Ruby was thrown to the floor instead by the resulting earth-tremors. "Ungh!" Simultaneously, Xander was shot at by the Spy who leaped over the Goliath to inflict 1200 points of damage. "Pretend?" The two struggled to stand up again. "You would rather keep those memories than be happy? For whose sake; the dead?" Xander groaned as he rose first and he put his turn to an end. "There is no point to it. They can not appreciate such actions.. Subito and Claud wont..."

Ruby's LP: 2300 Xanders LP: 2800

"Stop talking." Xanders words were hitting a little too close to her heart, for Ruby's comfort. "If you say one more thing about Subito, or Claud, or anyone who died to save lives... You want to know how Subito died, why he exerted his power? He died to save the life of Azar, Ann and his own brother! Are you telling me you would not have done the same?" With her hand Ruby wrenched the top card from her deck. "If I lose here, I will forget all of that. I will forget that he died, I will forget that I am alive because of him! He changed my life. He did, not Pandora!" " She activated the effect of the Volcanic Shell in her cemetery, paying 500 lifepoints to add the third and final shell to her hand. "Doble Passe has one more bonus! It lets Spy-C-Spy, the monster you tried to attack, attack directly in my next battle phase!" The blonde lady in the red dress fired another shot from her gun.

Ruby's LP: 1800 Xanders LP: 1600

"Tch. Ruby." Xander brushed the dust from the hit off. "You can not win this way. Surrender while you can. Can't you see that this is simply what Azar wants? Just like Subito, _he_ wants you to lay down your life for him." Even with this few lifepoints, Xander remained in Pandora's world. On the next turn both his monsters would take away what remained of her life instead. "Enough!" Ruby shouted. "I dont know if its the Number that is keeping you brainwashed, or something else. But if I have to hit you a thousand more times, I will!" She activated a quickplay spell card from her hand. "When a monster finishes a direct attack and inflicts 1500 point of damage or less, I can activate this card from my hand by discarding all cards in my hand! I activate Berserker Soul!" Ruby took the top card from her deck. "If I can excavate a monster card from the top of my deck, I can inflict 500 points of damage this turn!" The card on top of her deck was revealed to be a Guerillakite. "Xander, Pandora.. this one is for Claud!" Berserker Soul inflicted its damage to Xander.

Xanders LP: 1100

"Not enough, Ruby!" Xander began to yell. "Did I say we were done?" Ruby silenced him quickly, as she excavated a second card. "Berserker Soul can repeat this process until I reveal a non-monster card! It can do it up to seven times a turn!" The second revealed card was Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Raven. "This one is for Thomas, the Masked Raider who died to stop the First of all Numbers!" Xander lost another 500 lifepoints to the Berserker spell. "!?" By now he could only watch as Ruby excavated her third card. "This one is for Kincaid!" Heavy Cavalry of the Karmatic Flames was shown to Xander, and the next blast was sent his way. "Ruby.." Now he only had a 100 lifepoints left. "You cannot continue..." Already his resistance has been wittled down to nothing. Yet she kept going. "No. This is not over, so many have died!" One more card was excavated, Fire King High Avatar Garunix. "Subito..this one is for him!" Berserker Soul fired its fourth shot. "The people in the stadium fire, the victims of the Numbers, the catalysts, Theo's brother." Ruby wanted more, there was more to do! They all had to be avenged! "RUBY!" Xander yelled again, snapping her out of her frenzy. "You won! You do not have to duel anymore!"

Xanders LP: 0

"! Xander?" Her opponent fell flat on the ground. "Ack! Are you.." The sigh of it looked so painful yet humorous that all her anger vanished into thin air. The next card she excavated would have been a random monster too.

"Ergh. Not my most graceful defeat." Xander groaned as he propped himself back up. "But I..understand that you had to do it. A victory must be... claimed." He nearly tipped back down again, when Ruby caught him. "Okay you are not all right!" A loss of balance was the least of his problems. "I suppose not. I gave everything, and lost everything." His eyeslids were getting heavy, his body needed to rest. "Ruby. I know what happened now, I know the truth. You.." He was finally free, yet could do little with that information. "Tell Ariel. Tell her.. Ut omnia operatu. She will understand..I.." Xander only get a few words out, before his eyes closed and body slumped in her hands. "Xander!?" She yelled and shook his body. The man was out like a light. "No, nononono! Dont you get the idea to die on me now!" She placed him down and checked his wrist. "Oh thank god." There was a pulse, he was still alive..

...

Azar and the others had meanwhile indeed passed Xanders barrier, which Rita could sense. Someone was dueling him, and they did not know it was Ruby until Korose resumed D-pad communications with them. It did not take them long to find the place they needed. There was little in their way, because the streets were empty. Even here all life had been put to sleep. The haunted mansion was the end destination. Korose, Dakar and the Echoes were waiting inside near the entrance, just through the door was Dakars illusion veil. "It is good to see you all again." Azar greeted them when they were let into the illusion. "Likewise." Dakar could finally smile. Though then he saw Rita. "Rita..I am.."

"We'll have time for that later." She snapped. Rita did not want to think about that. Besides, they had a timetable. "That is what they look like in the real world, eh?" Rita saw the shadowbeings for the first time. They were only slightly more blurry here. "There are so many left." Necara counted several dozen of them. Who knew who they were in their past lives? "Except they seem to only need one more trial.. Because..." Dakar paused, as something took place that had happened before. "!?" Before the eyes of Azar and the others, two of the Echoes fused together into one taller shadow. "They have been doing that for a while now; slowly merging together." Dakar assumed this would stop when they were all one being. "Their rules for the last duel could be anything, it could be every limit imposed all at once." Now that the rest had come back, there was just one question. Who would take it? "Will a challenge like this restore our life?" Neither Rita nor Azar had much lifepoints to spend at the moment. Korose did. "I believe so, it is a duel in their world, not ours. Dakar or I will have to take it otherwise." Only he and Dakar had all 8000 of their points. Whether that mattered or not was impossible to tell; the Echoes had no voice here. "I will do it. I should." Azar eventually spoke up. "I started this, I should be..."

"Where am I? What did you do?"

"Shin?" Azar turned around. He had put Shin down on a couch to let him rest. He was awake now. "Shin. We're back with our friends. You don't have to worry." Azar had not planned on keeping Shin unconscious for too long, but the kid had still woken up sooner than he expected. "I don't? But..Subito. That was not a nightmare, that really happened." Shin was aware enough to know the difference between dream and reality. "We heard. I am so sorry, Shin.. We will do everything we can to make sure it does not happen to anyone else." Dakar had seen his family do hundreds of intakes at the funeral home. Still he was unsure about what to say to Shin. In the end all he had were words. "You can't promise that. Not for Subito..not for Claud." Shin had no use for _words_. "Claud? You..knew?" Rita gasped. "I heard, I saw." No dreams had visited Shin, only premonitions. He saw everything that was 'inevitable'. "I dont want this anymore." Shin got up and walked towards the exit. "Shin, where are you.. Shin!" Azar shouted. "Wait!"

Too late, Shin was out the front door. "He can't go there, he will be seen!" Shin had gone beyond the veil. "Who could spot him? The city is only half-awake and nobody with an Overhundred Number is around to intercept him." Nobody had followed them, Rita was sure of that. "...!?" Right up until a large power surged just outside the building. "What!?" Dakar and Azar felt it too. "Where.." The surge was accompanied by a loud thunderous noise and a rain of golden light. "Its the 102nd!"

The arrows that pierced the walls and hit the floor were of the type that StarSeraph Sentry held on its bow. "Ariel, Ion!" Its master, and the master of the 101st Number, came through the hole in the wall. "Azar, Dakar, Korose, Necara, Rita. They are all here, as I figured they would lead us here. Shin got away though." Ion and his Seraph guarded the exits, while Ariel marched forward with her Dark Knight. "Let him go. This loss hit him the hardest, I do not want to pain him more." She spoke of him with a kind tone. She had none for the others. "First Subito, now Claud. When will you be satisfied, Azar? I swear, you will never hurt anyone again!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 212: Ex-Deus et Machina)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Volcanic Shell

-  
Berserker Soul

-  
Prepared Explosives

**New Cards used by the Xander Carson  
**Absorbing Jar  
Number 55: Gogogo Goliath  
_XYZ Gardna  
_Power Giant


	47. Cipher 212: Ex-Deus et Machina

**(Cipher 46) 212: ****Ex-Deus et Machina**

Ion and Ariel had found them, they had caught them. "How did you..get this close?" Rita could not make sense of it. Dakars illusions only worked on people outside of the veil, it should not have prevented her or Dakar from sensing their powers. "I got close, because my Numbers power was nearly drained to nothing." Ion began to talk as he shared a look with Ariel. "I gave it all to her, so I could spy on you without you noticing me. As soon as I saw you disappear here, I knew where you were and called Ariel to teleport here and give me my powers back." The power of Number 101 could absorb any type of energy, even another Overhundred Numbers energy. If there was nothing there, there was nothing to give Ion away. After that, all Ariel had to do was absorb the energy of the illusion with her Numbers power.

"Ariel. I did not kill Subito. He.."

"Quiet!" Azar got a mere sentence in before Ariel screamed over him. "Time and time again, you have tried to talk your way out! Just stop it!" She activated her crystal D-pad. "But I have proof! Subito gave me a card.." Azar wanted to reach for a spell in his deck. "So what? You could have just stolen it from him after he.." Neither Ion nor Ariel would let him. Ion just aimed another arrow right at Azar. He would not let him make any funny moves. "There is only one way this will end. I will duel..."

"What the hell!?" Ion loudly cursed. He directed everyone else's attention to the Thing that appeared behind them. "The Echoes!?" Blobs of pitch-black fog rolled out of the corners of the wall, pouring into the entrance room to form a massive giant. "They are done fusing!" Dakar yelled. The final trial giver was here and this was the form it took. "Fusing? What are you saying? What is that!?" The entity that overshadowed everyone was unlike anything Ariel had ever seen before. It was too distressing a sight to even consider anything but staring at it. "You wanted it! Do it!" Necara shouted at Azar to accept the trial while he still could. "Right!" Azar nodded and turned his back on the others. A bit too soon. "I dont know what that is, or what you want from it! But there is no way I am letting you get near it!" Ion recovered from being amazed sooner than Ariel did. His Starseraph Sentry changed its aim and pointed the light arrows at the massive Echo. And yet...

"I challenge you, Ion!" A clear and loudly spoken provocation drew Ions the seraph to target Korose. "K!?" Ion and his Number had both heard his demand for a duel. Now it could not be ignored, and he could not interfere elsewhere. "I have the same stance as you, Ion. I can not let you get near Azar." He turned towards Azar and said nothing. He did not need to say anything, Azar understood what he was trying to do. "You should be the one, I agree." Dakar also gave Azar his blessings. "Just go. Or else this has all been for nothing." As did Rita, in her own way. "Thank you all.." He spun around and stared up at the giants face. There was just one thing to say before he could go further. "Necara, find Shin."

"Find him? Why me?" Necara thought there would be far better people to do that task. "Because you are the only one he will want to listen to." Azar gave her his reasoning, and that would have to be enough. He would not stay any longer.

"I accept." He extended his hand above his head. The titanic shadow lowered its own hand. "Azar!" Ariel screamed again as a flash of darkness struck the room. When everyone could see again, the darkness was gone as well. Azar stayed behind, unconscious..

...

He was back in the world of Echoes, in a dueling field that was nothing like the last. Azar stood, in the loosest sense of the term, inside a large void that was as black as the night. There was a ceiling to this world, the skies were covered by buildings, roads and skyscrapers. Up had become down and down had become up. The floor was made from billions and billions of transparent cards; all coming together like clouds. It was true that physics had no power here, yet these fields were supposedly based on real memories. What had the other earth been like, in its last few days? "You are my opponent." Not too far from him was the last Echo. The giant had changed form and abandoned its humanoid shape for a simpler linear formation. _It_ was like a serpent that coiled around itself and continuously chased its own tail; a broken infinity symbol. "What is my challenge?"

**"We are the Finite."** The shadow spoke with a thousand voices and yet no mouth. **"We are all together, united, whole. The trial will be the same. Every trial taken was a prelude to this." **Its words echoed one after the other with mere nanoseconds in between each voice. None sounded familiar. "Every trial?" Azar did not know what all other trials had been like. If he did, he still would not have been prepared enough for this ultimate test. **"Nothing is unknown. Every card in existence is here. Every card."** The shadow slinked back to drag several cards from the floor into itself. "Even.. the Numbers?" Azar could see them for himself; cards like Genom-Heritage and Silent Honor DARK were in there. Copies, yet similar in effect. **"One more limit is placed.. removed, destroyed. The closer you get to their world, the closer you get to the unlimited. Here, no life can be counted. Here, it is endless."**

Azars LP: ∞ The Finite's LP: ∞

"!" Azar saw the lifepoints displayed on his D-pad, he had an infinite amount of them. "A duel like this?" This was an even greater obstacle to overcome than what Dakar had faced. There was no mathematical way to subtract from infinity. The only way Azar could win this duel was through special conditions, or by inflicting an infinite amount of damage. The latter was almost impossible. "I know which cards I will use, Finite." There were a few options at least, it helped that every Number was at his disposal. His deck was soon completed. "I take the first turn!" Azar placed one trap card down and ended his turn. **"We have decided as well. Our turn, move, phase."** The serpent splattered some of its dark body on the field, creating two face-down cards of pure-black ink. One was set as a monster and the other as a spell/trap card.** "Turn end, that ends our turn, it is done."**

"So it is." Azar wondered if it was even necessary for his opponent to set a defensive monster when no single attack could harm it. Something was up. "Finite, I will show you my answer for this game! As you control a monster and I do not, I can special summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit from my hand!" The fog dragon(6/2100/1400) of the Egyptian watergod came through the sea of cards. "Then I normal summon The Hieratic Dragon of Eset without tributes, by reducing his original attackpoints by 900!" The golden sunlight dragon(5/1000/1200) flew in from above. "Finally, I activate the spell card Dragonic Tactics! I can tribute two dragons to special summon a level 8 dragon from my deck!" Eset and Tefnuit were sacrificed for a ritual that eventually created a new dragon of light. "Parsec the Interstellar Dragon!" Dragonic Tactics special summoned The purple/green alien dragon(8/800/800), and it did not arrive by itself. "Eset and Tefnuit can both special summon a normal-type dragon from my deck when they are tributed!" Each of the two Hieratic Dragons summoned a Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord, the golden dragon egg(8/0/0) from Azars deck. "Now I have three level 8 monsters, I will use them as the materials for Number 88!"

The Hieratic Overlord Seals were overlayed with the Parsec dragon to call upon a triple-material rank-8 xyz monster. The Number was an emperor(8/3200/2300) on his throne, a puppet with the head of a lion. "The answer is Gimmick Puppet of Leo. Leo creates one Destiny Counter by giving up on attached card." The Puppet of Destiny detached Parsec and took his sword from his side to unsheath it. "When Number 88 has created three Destiny Counters, I win the game automatically!" Out of all Numbers, this one was the only card with an alternate win condition. This could break this trial. "I attack your facedown monster!" Gimmick Puppet of Leo released a blast of energy from his free hand. The blast incinerated Finite's set bronze robot(4/1600/1200), Meklord Army of Granel. _"Granel?.."_ That was not a good omen. Azar did know this card. "I set one more cards in my spell/trap zone and activate Trials and Tribulations! This spell allows me to regain two of my dead monsters, during a turn in which I tributed 2 monsters or more!" Azar moved to his endphase, adding the Hieratic Dragons Eset and Tefnuit back to his hand.

**"Trap card activated, flipped, revealed." **Unfortunately, by raising the stakes, Azar spurred his opponent to take action as well.** "Chaos Infinity. The Insanity of limitlessness will be contained. We summon a 'Meklord' monster from our deck." **Another Meklord Army of Granel(4/1600/1200) was placed in its monster zone, with its effects negated. **"And all defense is undone." **Number 88, which Azar had summoned in defense mode, was switched to an attack position. **"The summoned will be destroyed."** Chaos Infinity also destroyed Meklord Army of Granel as soon as Azar ended his turn. "When a monster is destroyed by an effect, the Meklord Emperors will appear." Finite chained to the death of its Army Meklord by special summoning a superior Meklord from its hand. **"Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity." **A behemoth of a machine was built right before Azars eyes, a bronze one-eyed robot(1/∞/0) with a shield on one arm and a cannon on the other. It hovered on its tank-like lower body. And within the machine's chest was a core of infinite energy. "Infinite..attackpoints?"

**"Granel has the power of a half its masters lifepoints. Half of infinity is still infinity." **The Meklord Emperors original attackpower was zero. In this special trial, its power was limitless. **"Infinity minus 3200 is still Infinity."** It was the Finite's turn, and it declared an attack on Number 88 immediately. "No!" If Azar took that hit, he would lose all his lifepoints at once. This was the one monster that _could _defeat him in a straight-up battle; a relic from a forgotten world that had never diminished in power. **"Disappear, die, perish."** Granels cannon released a beam as wide as the sun itself. Everything was encompassed. "I activate Hand Destruction!" Azar had little time to activate his spell, it discarded 2 cards from both players hands and made them draw two new cards. Azar discarded Necro Gardna and Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit. "I activate the effect of Necro Gardna in my graveyard!" One of the discarded cards was then banished. "I can remove it to negate one attack!" The necrotic warrior jumped up in front of the Gimmick Puppet and absorbed all of the energy at once. His life was spared."That power.. how can such a card exist?"

**"We are, were, will be, the gatekeeper of the desynchronized world. We were created to maintain order, to set the boundaries of that world." **It spoke of earth itself, of the 'fake planet' that had been created when the Numbers dimension first attacked the known universe. "You... were made? You are Artificial?" Just like the non-Number half of Pandora, just like Esther. "Who made you?" He had to know, this could be connected to Esther. **"Eight names, seven dead, one missing.."** Azar was not told, directly. **"Set thrice, three traps or spells, face-down."** The Finite was done with talking and with this turn.

_"Eight, to seven? Could he be talking about the professors that Kapha worked with? This one is more important, and more powerful than any other Echo. And his power comes with vulnerabilities." _There were Numbers that could take advantage of infinite attackpoints, and Azar had kept the cards that could summon almost any Number together. "I summon Rescue Rabbit and I activate its effect!" The rescuers rabbit(4/300/100) banished itself to special summon two of the same lowlevel Normal monsters from Azars deck. "Alexandrite Dragon!" Of course Azar called out both of this crystalline dragons, summoning them(4/2000/0) to the field. **"That is your level, limit, rank?"**

"It is." Azar activated a continuous spell,. "XYZ Change Tactics. This spell draws a card for me, each time I Xyz-summon a Utopia monster!" Azar stacked one Alexandrite Dragon on top of the other. "Come, Number 39: Utopia!" On top of them both he placed the knight of hope and dreams, Utopia(4/2500/2000). "Draw!" XYZ Change Tactics then gave Azar the next card from his deck. Normally this spells draws required a cost of 500 lifepoints, but payments made no difference to a pool of limitless lifepoints. "I chaos-xyz summon Number C39: Utopia Ray, to reach the next stage!" To gain a second draw from the Tactics spell, Azar special summoned the dark chaosnumber Utopia Ray from his extra deck. Placing that monster(4/2500/2000) on top of Utopia. "And now the final evolution! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force!" He had drawn _that_ spell at last. He used it on Utopia Ray to summon one of its 5th rank forms. Not Victory, but the hellish reaper; Utopia Ray V(5/2600/2000).

**"Counter, negation, trap: Solemn Judgment."** The Finite attempted to stop this summon with its first trap. The enemy payed half of its infinite lifepoints to let Solemn Judgment destroy Utopia Ray V. "I foresaw this the minute you said we'd have infinite life, Finite!" Azar flipped his own countertrap, Cashback. "Cashback negates a trap or spell that requires the payment of lifepoints!" Cards like Solemn Judgment were exactly what one would use in an environment like this. The judgment was undone, and Utopia Ray V could remain on the field. And thanks to XYZ Change Tactics, Azar drew a third card. "I activate Utopia Ray V's effect!" Azar detached one Alexandrite Dragon from Utopia Ray V. "It destroys a monster you control and inflicts damage equal to that monsters attackpoints!" The summoning of Granel allowed destruction effects like these to inflict infinite amounts of damage in one fell swoop. Though not every card would help, a Number like Volcasaur would be useless as it only inflicted damage equal to a monsters original attackpower. Utopia Ray V on the other hand counted the attackpoints on the field. "Yes!" The Chaosnumber threw his spinning scythe at Granel and made the machine explode. "!?"

The Finite's LP: ∞

His opponents life refused to drop? "Gah!?"Just before Utopia Ray V's effect resolved, Finite had taken all of Granel(0/0)'s attackpoints away, so that zero points of damage were inflicted when it was destroyed. But how? **"We activated, revealed, flipped up; Ghosts from the Past."** A trap was how. The Finite's second trap banished two monsters from its graveyard to reduce a monsters attack to zero. "But.." That was not the worst part. When the smoke cleared from the bazooka blast, it unveiled another Meklord Emperor Granel(1/∞/0). _"He had a second Emperor in his hand?" _The second Granel special summoned itself when the first was destroyed by Azars card effect._ "In that case I _activate the spell card, Utopia Buster! When I control an Utopia monster, it destroys a monster you control and inflicts damage equal to its attackpoints!" Utopia Buster also only cared about its victims current attackpoints. Utopia Ray V fired a shell from its bazooka, towards Granel. **"Counter Trap, Solemn Scolding."** This the Finite had an answer for as well. Solemn Scolding negated an effect or a summon, if it was the only set card in a players backrow. It also required a cost of 3000 lifepoints; a sum that would not be missed. "Damn it!" Utopia Buster was negated and destroyed.

"What do I do now?" While he still had Gimmick Puppet of Leo, Azar would not stay alive for another turn. He had recklessly summoned Utopia Ray V in attack position. He did not have the time to redo this trial over and over, the Probe could launch at any second. _"Not Utopia, I should've gone for another Number."_ Azar activated a monster effect from his graveyard. "By banishing two dragons, Alexandrite Dragon and one of the Hieratic Seals, I can special summon Tempest the Dragon Ruler of Storms from my hand!" Now came the tornado dragon lord(7/2400/2200). He would soon be joined by another dragon, as Azar activated the spell card; Hieratic Seal of Convocation to add a Hieratic Dragon from his deck to his hand. "I special summon this card, Hieratic Dragon Asar, by banishing one dead effect and one dead normal-dragon!" Hieratic Dragon Tefnuit and the second Hieratic Seal were removed from the graveyard, so that the green light god dragon Asar(7/2600/700) could fly out of Azars hand.

The two dragons shifted into each other. "By overlaying these two, I can xyz-summon a rank 7 number! I summon Number 11: Big Eye!" Focused rays of light drenched the void in a green hue. What broke the light was a large conical cylinder(7/2600/2000), with one giant eye within the cone and a flat halo around it. **"The 11th. Its power is to control, steal, mesmerize. It wishes to take all?" **Azars choice seemed to shock all within the Finite. "That is right. If I have to possess all of your power at once to get what I need, then it will be done!" Azar detached a material from Big Eye. "I activate Number 11's effect and take control of Meklord Emperor Granel!" His lifepoints were just as high as Granels owner, so even with the Meklord switching sides its infinite attackpoints stayed at the same value. "You have no defenses left, Finite!" Azar pointed at the black serpent. Meklord Emperor Granel aimed its cannon. "We have done all you asked us to do! Now!" The shot was fired, the enemy overwhelmed.

The Finite's LP: 0

The black serpent of infinity withered to near nothing; shrinking until it was the size of a small human. "This was the last trial, Finite..Echoes. Have we proven ourselves?" Azar was waiting for its last words.** "You have. Six decks, like the six marks of old. We will.. open your portal."** The legion of voices swore in unison, and the world of shadows started to rumble. "..." New colors seeped into the sky, while the horizon of cards and skyscrapers turned to vapor. Space was torn open by the force of Numbers, the new world was there. "I thank you, beings of this world." Azar could proceed, but he was not sure he could have done so without the existence of the Echoes. "Tell me one last thing.. before I move on. Is the one called 'Esther' connected to you?"

**"It may be. Its design may be based on ours. Yet none of us have the certainty, faith.. we lack knowledge, data, information. And now, we will sleep again. There will be a time, when we reunite with those who lost us. Perhaps."** The Finite's voice turned soft. It could not be heard as it uttered its last sentences. It could not be seen after that. Azar was by himself. "Then.." He looked straight into the portal. "All hope lies there." He jumped into the light once more.

(To be Continued in Cipher 213: The Big Sleep)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Destiny  
Number 11: Big Eye

-  
Dragonic Tactics  
XYZ-Change Tactics  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

-  
Cashback

**Cards used by The FINITE  
**Meklord Army of Granel  
Meklord Emperor Granel

-  
Chaos Infinity  
Solemn Judgment  
Ghost from the Past  
Solemn Scolding


	48. Cipher 213: The Big Sleep

**(Cipher 47) 213: The Big Sleep**

"Azar? Why is he.. What did he do to himself?" Ariel could be amazed at herself, at how rapidly her hatred turned into concern when Azar dropped to the ground. This did not look like the last time he had knocked himself out. That shadow, whatever it had been, was involved with this fit of unconsciousness. It took her brother to make her see what had been going on here. "Ariel, what you saw was an Echo, a memory lived in another world. Azar went into his mind to challenge that entity to a duel. Each of us has done the same." To explain it all would take too long, but he could see that she was already listening. "Are you sure you should be telling her this?" Rita stopped Dakar briefly, but he shook his head. "Yes. I want her to understand."

"Are you actually going to let him talk?" In a similar manner, Ion expressed his own dissent. "I am." Yet Ariel allowed her brother to continue. "Thank you. Ariel.. what you must have heard, even if you do not accept it, is that the Numbers did not come from our universe. Their world exists outside our finite dimension, their world is what Azar has been trying to reach. That is why the world is in this state right now, why the sky is red." The redstained moon had lasted long enough to hide the fact that night had fallen.. "Dakar, I know what this world is, what the red moon stands for. You were a prisoner there because of Chaos!" The knowledge of this dimensions existence between the finite and infinite was not taken from her memories, though Ariel saw it as something else. The last time that humanity witnessed this red sky, it had been because of Chaos and The End. To every human this was a realm of chaotic energy. "You are right about.. me." Of course he knew what her point of view was. He had shared it one week ago. "But it was not that Chaos sent me there, it was my own body that could not cope."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ion asked, growing impatient with these stories. "To make you see that the Numbers are not natural. This dimensional pandemonium is their doing, not an act of Chaos or the End. When they came, the fabrics of space and time were so heavily distorted that a second planet earth and a second moon were created. You realize it now, how it weakens the Numbers. Because this second world is a world that was never tainted with the Numbers, it is like a poison to them. It brings them closer to our standards. It used to be different, it used to be that their moon empowered them. But the Catalysts are gone, only those shadows remain. Those shadows are now what rule this red world, they have made it easier for us to free your mind in a duel."

"Then why did Claud die, why did Subito? Why are so many leaving us? This world is only making us weaker, easier to kill by Azar and.."

"Oot omnia operation!" Ariel heard someone else shout. "Those words? ..Xander?" She saw two duelists standing in the hole blown into the side of the building; Ruby and Xander. The latter was not awake and had to be carried by the former. "Xander!? What did you do to him?" Ion demanded an answer. He had not sensed Xander before now, which could only mean one thing. "I beat him. His Number is gone now." Ruby came clean. She did not much care how this looked, because it could have been worse. "But he is fine, sorta. He didn't die after he lost. The red light is not that deadly, it only keeps track of how much life we lose after each duel." The duel had cost her 6200 lifepoints, which could be a problem later. "Also he regained his senses before he passed out. He told me to say those words to you. No idea what they mean.." Ruby was sure she had not pronounced it properly, but from the look of things they had reached Ariel with enough force.

"Xander is.. alive?" She never felt a joy as strange as the one she felt now. Ariel expected the worst and got something completely different. ".. Subito would have been as well, but he had to push himself too much, to save Shin. And Claud.." Ruby placed Xander down against the side of the wall, in case he would not wake up any time soon. "Claud was already dead."

"This again." Ion lived a different emotion; fear. "That nonsense is what Azar kept saying about me, isn't it?" He turned to Korose. "Then what does that make me? What do you suppose will happen to me, if I lose to you?" Though he and Agent K had not taken any further actions, a challenge had still been given and they would have to follow up on it eventually. "I wish I could tell you. I have yet to fathom the workings of reborn lives, Clauds and yours." Korose had heard Clauds true self came back before his end. Ion could find the same fate. "Fine. Fine! If that is the way it is.. Ariel, Dakar, Rita.. Korose." Ion turned on his D-pad. "Who am I to stop it? I have a job to do. I wont abandon my promise to Pandora. K, I will show you who I am. I am Ion Grissom, and I am going to bring you all down. Starting with you, K." If Rita, Azar and Ruby truly had so little life left. It would be easy for him to pick them off one by one. "I, your partner and friend Korose Sonin, will accept a duel now. I will go wherever you want to take it." Korose had his deck prepared, though he preferred a better stage. "I know where to take this. Rita, take him there. I wont be far away." Ion vanished. "He has to be like that..." Rita sighed and took Korose's hand. She made them warp after Ion.

"Just..where is this all going.." Ariel was unlike her partner, she had too many doubts surrounding her anger. "We do not have to duel, Ariel." This was good. If there was still a way to resolve this peacefully, Dakar would fight for that. "You should show her the outside, that may help." Ruby figured Ariel would change her tune once she noticed what Pandora had done to every common citizen in this city alone. "I will stay here with Necara and guard the guys, right Necara?" Someone would have to stay with Azar until he was ready with his trial. Apparently she would have to do it alone. "Necara? Wasn't she supposed to be here?"

...

Shin sat on a bench in the middle of the amusement park. His legs only took him this far but at least he alone now. For a while.

"I told you to leave me!.." He raised his voice as he heard a noise from behind. "You? What are you doing here?" He lowered it again when he saw that it was Necara who had found him. "Watching you. What are _you_ doing here?" She asked him, sharply. "You don't get to ask me a question back! You.." Shin only got halfway into his angered response, when he gave it up. He was just too tired. "Azar sent you, didn't he? To make sure I don't do anything stupid." Shin let out a deep sigh and looked at his own cards and D-pad. "I beat one of the trials, I am needed to fight back against Pandora. You just don't want to see me throw that away." He had 8000 lifepoints, he was one of the few who still had to choose an opponent. "I do not know if I can." The last few minutes, all he had done was think about how it could have gone differently. "What help am I, if I can not change the future?" His Number had shown him so many glimpses, and he failed to act on any of them. "Now Subito is gone, forever.. he is nowhere. What am I going to tell mom and dad?"

"He is not gone."

"What? What did you say?" Shin raised his head as she spoke again. "That he is not gone." Necara repeated herself and sat down on the bench next to her. "Why would you say that? That's not funny!" Shin reflexively got up and yelled at her. "I do not know. I do not know everything. I thought I did." Necara stared at her own hand and shook her head. "He came back, Claud Renner. Where did he come from? I do not know. But..there was no end for him. Death was not a conclusion." Like Shin, who could not stop thinking of tragedy, Necara's thoughts had been replaying one event over and over. For her it was a miracle.

"That may as well mean nothing. Claud is still not with _us_. Neither is.." Shin wiped his face and gazed to his left and right. "You know ..I used to go to places like these with him, when we were younger. The roller coasters were the best. I was so scared to go on one of them the first time, but Subito was right there with me..." Not even his surroundings could make him stop reliving his brothers fate. It was like the entire world was mocking him. "I never had a first time." Necara suddenly stated. "Huh? You haven't? No..I suppose you wouldn't have." Shin did not mind her words anymore, he could use another topic. "Maybe we..no, forget it." He sat down and looked down. "Maybe?.." Necara had seen what had drawn his eyes before, it was the longest rollercoaster in the park. "We should." It was automated, like every other ride these days. No manual inputs were necessary. "What? Right now?" An exasperated Shin cried out. "Yes, right now." Necara grabbed Shins arm. "Now is as good as any other time. Show me.. what Subito did for you."

...

"Here?" Rita was surprised by Ions choice of location; the middle of an airport. The nearest airport Ion could find. "This is just like our first mission together, Rita. K and me chased one of Chaos' operatives all the way to this place, where he started attacking people in public. It took both of us to bring the target down. If you want to stir up a fake memory, I'd call it only fair that I get to jog your real memories." Ion drew five cards. He left the first turn for Korose. "I do remember. I also remember that that target was a Number-user, not a Chaos victim." Korose drew six cards. He placed one monster in face-down defense mode and ended his turn. "That's nice. But is that a good reason to bring a duel here again?"

Korose's LP: 8000 Ions LP: 8000

"Take a look around, every plane here is grounded, likely due to the red skies you caused." Ion pointed out that nothing could get in the way here. _"Hrm. Guess that explains why planes haven't been falling out of the clouds." _Rita knew the other reason for this wa_s_ Pandora's worldwide mandated siesta. Not that she assumed Pandora would just put people to sleep in mid-air just so they could fall down for thousands of miles. Ion did not seem to question the lack of personnel on the lanes though.

"My turn." He normal summoned his first monster; Summoner Monk(4/800/1600). It switched itself to defense position. "Monk special summons a level 4 monster from my deck." Ion discarded a spell, Star Seraph Glory, to activate his monsters effect. A spiked neon angeloid(4/1800/400) was summoned by the Monk. "Star Seraph Scepter here can then add a Star Seraph to my hand, because he is summoned." The Scepters effect searched Ions deck for a Star Seraph Scout and placed it in Ions hand. "I'll Xyz-summon, Constellar Omega!" The Monk and Seraph were overlayed and attached to the mechanical angel(4/2400/500) of the Omega centauri starsystem. "Omega strikes!" The Xyz-monster fired holy energy from its golden hive-wings; decimating Korose's facedown Noble Knight Joan(4/1900/1300). "Next!" Ion moved into the 2nd main phase. "I can use a Constellar Xyz monster and its materials to xyz-summon Constellar Ptolemy M7!" Ion placed a new Xyz-card on top of Constellar Omega; Ptolemy M7(6/2700/2000) the stellar dragon of gold and white. "M7 cannot use its effects this turn, if it is summoned this way. So I set one card in my spell/trap zone, and end my turn! Now show me what you got, K!"

"You kept some of your old cards." Ion still had Constellars in his extra deck, despite the Star Seraph-styled main deck. "We are more alike than I thought." Korose had not completely discarded his Heroics from his days as an agent either. Now was just not the time for them. "I normal summon Merlin." An old wizard(3/1400/500) appeared from a white fog. "I can tribute Merlin to summon any Noble Knight from the deck." Merlin waved his staff around to make himself disappear. Now the fog released a blonde knight(4/1700/1000) in tattered clothes. "I choose the Knight Medraut. I equip him with the spell, Noble Arms Gallatin, in my hand!" Granting Medraut the glowing blue sword added 1000 points to his(5/2700/1000) attacking power. It also unlocked the sealed ability of this Gemini warrior, turning him into a dark-type effect monster and raising its level temporarily. "Medraut can summon another Knight from my deck in defense position, and afterwards it shall destroy his own equipment! I choose to special summon Drystan!" The darkened knight called for the aid of a harp-playing knight(4/1800/800), while Medraut(1700/1000) smashed Gallatin to release his own curse.

"I can equip a destroyed Noble Arms to a Noble Knight on the field." The broken Gallatin used its own effect to reforge itself and let Drystan(2800/800) take him. "Noble Knight Drystan can destroy one face-up card, when a Noble Arms card is equipped to him!" Though he was defending, Drystan could still use his new sword to make an attack against Ion. The harp player threw Gallatin straight towards Ptolemy M7. "Your tricks are not that new to me, K!" Ion flipped his trap card. "Utopian Aura! I detach a card from my Xyz-monster, to make sure it can not be destroyed by card effects this turn!" The stellar dragon used up the attached Star Seraph Scepter to created a divine shield. Gallatin was deflected and tossed back to Drystan. "I see." Since Drystan was in defense mode, he had no monsters that could attack the Constellar. "I shall end my turn, after I do this." Korose equipped a second spell to Drystan, a glowing broadsword with golden edges. "Noble Arms Excaliburn renders its master immune to all my enemy's targeting effects."

Korose now had one last spell to play; the Noble Knights of the Round Table field spell. "I end my turn!" During the endphase, the field counted the number of living and dead Noble Knights. There were two on the field and one in the graveyard. "I can send one Noble Knight to my graveyard with three Knights on the table!" Korose sent Noble Knight Artorigus into his graveyard and ended Korose's turn. "Heh. Looks like I have you on the ropes already, K." Ion wasted no time in counter-attacking. After he drew his card he detached another material from his Xyz-monster. "Constellar M7 can return one of your field or grave cards to your hand! I will settle on Merlin!" Ion tried to bounce back the wizard in the cemetery, because he knew what kind of power it held there.

"I will activate Merlins effect and banish it!" It was a power that Korose was now forced to use. "Merlin allows my Noble knights to perform a synchro or Xyz-summon in your turn!" Through the wizards magic, Drystan and Medraut were stacked together and combined into the King of Noble Knights, the royal warrior Artorigus(4/2000/2000). "I equip the Noble Arms in my graveyard to Artorigus!" The Gallatin and Excaliburn swords that Drystan had discarded after it was overlayed, were handed over to the King(3000/2000). With Artorigus summoned in attack mode, Korose now possessed the stronger monster.

"About what I expected." Ion smirked. M7 had missed its target, but he had plenty of other available options. "I summon Star Seraph Scout! Its effect special summons a Star Seraph from my hand!" A winged neon angeloid(4/1200/1800) hovered down before Ion in a beam of light. That same beam then lowered a golden angel(4/1500/900) shaped like a balancing scale. "Star Seraph Scale! Its special summon is followed by the special summon of another Star Seraph from my hand! Then Scale will place one Light-monster in my graveyard on top of my deck!" The Scale tipped to the side, as a second Star Seraph Scepter(4/1800/400) was placed in one pan and summoned. The Scepter then used its decksearching effect to add a Star Seraph Sword to Ions hand. The first Scepter meanwhile was set in the second Scale-pan after it was taken from the graveyard.

"Then, when I summon a Star Seraph, Star Seraph Sovereign can special summon itself from my hand!" Now a black throne(4/800/2000) with neongold light was placed in Ions field. "Sovereign draws a card from my deck. If that card is a Star Seraph, I can summon it immediately!" Thanks to the Scales, Ion was sure he would draw a Star Seraph from his deck. "Hey! You cant do that! You don't have any monster zones left!" Rita, who had been watching quietly up until now, started to shout at Ion to point out a flaw in his plan. "I took care of that already, Rita." Before Ion resolved the Sovereigns effect, he activated an effect from his graveyard. "I use Star Seraph Glory! I can perform a Xyz-summon in the middle of a chain, with Seraphs I control!" Ion overlayed the second Star Seraph Scepter with Star Seraph Scout. "I Xyz-summon another Constellar Omega!" They formed a second sacred centaur(4/2400/500) of the stars.

_Star Seraph Glory, Normal Spell  
__You can only use each effect of "Star Seraph Glory" once per turn.  
_● _Special Summon 1 "Star Seraph" or "Archfiend Seraph" monster from your graveyard. You cannot special summon monsters the turn you activate this effect, except LIGHT-monsters.  
_● _Once per chain, during either player's turn: You can banish this card from your graveyard; immediately after this effect resolves, Xyz summon 1 LIGHT Xyz Monster using "Star Seraph" monsters you control._

"Now where was I? Oh yes!" Ion finished Sovereigns draw effect and drew the scaled Star Seraph Scepter from his deck. It(4/1800/400) was quickly special summoned, and its effect sent a second Star Seraph Scout to Ions hand. "Sovereign can only be used to summon a xyz-monster that require 3 materials, so..!" Ion then overlayed his remaining Seraphs; Scale, Sovereign and Scepter, to summon a triple-material Xyz-card that was a bit more special than normal Xyz-monsters. "I Xyz-summon Number 16: Shock Master!" It was the color ruling angel(4/2300/1600), and also one of Ions old conquests. "You summoned that Number?!" Korose was horrified.

"It's just like with Claud." Rita said, miserably. "Pandora gave him a second Number to better control him. It had to be_ that _one too." She knew what Agent I's favorite Number had been. It was like he never stopped being an agent.

(To be Continued in Cipher 214: Loyalty Talks)

**New Cards used by Korose Sonin  
**Merlin

-  
Noble Arms Excaliburn

**New Cards used by the Ion Grissom  
**Summoner Monk  
Star Seraph Scale  
Star Seraph Sovereighn

_-  
Star Seraph Glory_


	49. Cipher 214: Loyalty Talks

**(Cipher 48) 214: Loyalty Talks**

"You were telling the truth." Dakar had taken his sister to a nearby house. Ariel could see _them_ with her own eyes now. She could see how every man, woman and child lied in their homes, not moving a muscle. "All of them.." They were asleep, not in their beds, but on the floor. "They couldn't even be calm like this." Nobody would try to sleep under these circumstances, with the world assaulted by a red moon. "Can you explain this? Can Kapha?" Dakar asked her, and she shook her head. "I cant say... anymore." None of it added up. "I know you wouldn't lie to me on purpose. I want to believe everything you say. But.." Nothing added up. "If Azar was right all along, if he didn't kill Claud... Subito.. What is going to happen to Ion, to us?" She asked him something he could not answer, not directly. Dakar could only make a promise. "I wont let anything happen to you, Ariel. I swear."

...

Korose's LP: 8000 Ions LP: 8000

"Like old times, wouldn't you say K?" Using three materials, Ion had xyz-summoned his Number 16: Shock Master(4/2300/1600). One of those materials could now activate its effect. "When Star Seraph Scepter is used a material for one Xyz-monster with 3 materials, I get to destroy one of your cards and draw one of mine!" Like a shooting star, one of Number 16's materials shot towards Korose's Noble Knight King, Artogorigus(4/3000/2000). "Now I know Noble Arms Excaliburn makes your monster untargetable, but your spells don't get that security." The kings golden excalibur sword was smashed to pieces. It was one of the few Noble Arms cards that could not re-equip itself to a Noble Knight upon demolition. Ion drew his card next and moved on with his turn. "I activate my Numbers power to seal effects of one type. I will seal all your monster effects until the next turn!"

"I activate Effect Veiler!" Korose quickly put a stop to that plan. "Oh?" Ions Number had its own effect negated, as Korose discarded the veiler mage from his hand. "You, with a card like that?" Effect Veiler was not a warrior, or a typical card for Korose to use at all. "I do not desire to be predictable, Ion." Korose had his reasons. "You definitely are not, but I am trying to get somewhere here..." Shock Ruler, Constellar Omega(4/2400/500) and Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000), none of them could overpower Artorigus. Ion would have to find other ways to do damage, and he had. "So I activate Constellar Tempest! When I control two Constellar Xyz-monsters, I can halve your lifepoints during the endphase!" A continuous spell was played. Ion switched Ptolemy M7 to defense mode and ended his turn. "Half?" Rita cringed. This effect sounded devastating. "Korose, look.." The clouds in the sky swirled together and unleashed a storm of falling stars. Each of them crashed into Korose. "Rgh!" The agent fell down. Ion scoffed. "Get up, K. I know you have been hit with worse!"

Korose's LP: 4000

"..I..have, but... not from a friend." Korose forced himself to stand, despite the pain, and draw a card. "I activate Artorigus' effect!" By detaching one material, the Sacred King(2800/2000) could destroy spells and traps equal to the number of cards equipped to it. "I destroy Constellar Tempest!" As it only had Gallatin, it could wipe out one spell. The Tempest card was cut open. Then Korose tended to his field and summoned two new warriors. "I call upon Borz.." The chalice-bearing darkhaired knight(4/1700/900) could be normal summoned. "..and Gawayn!" And as Borz was a gemini monster that treated itself as a normal monster for now, Noble Knight Gawayn(4/1900/500) could be special summoned from Korose's hand in defense position. "K, buddy, you overlooked one thing." At this point one of Shock Masters Xyz-materials started to glow. "The first time each turn, while Star Seraph Scale is attached to my 3-material Xyz monster, I can draw a card when a monster is special summoned from a players hand!" Ion drew once again.

"I saw that effect, Ion, I saw triggering it as a necessary cost...I activate the effect of Noble Arms Excaliburn in my cemetery!" The excalibur equip spell was banished from the graveyard. "It takes one Noble Knight Xyz monster and attaches it and all its materials to another!" Korose placed a new Knight card on top of his King, evolving Artorigus(5/2200/2200) into his battle-ready form. "I asked for the aid of Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus! I can destroy one monster with his power!" Korose switfly detached one card from his new Sacred King. "You wont get to destroy my Constellars, K!" In turn Ion detached a material from Constellar Omega. "I use Omega's effect, so all Constellars become unaffected by card effects this turn!" The stellar centaur cast its protective barrier far and wide. It could only not include a certain monster. "I then choose to destroy Number 16!" Sacred Artorigus cut the Shock Ruler in half with one swing from his sword. "One down, one to go." Rita was slightly glad to see that thing go."Now it's just.. his Overhundred Number and possibly_ that_ card."

"I must first deal with his other monsters." Korose activated a new effect. When Artorigus was exchanged for his rank-5 counterpart, the equipped Noble Arms Gallatin had been destroyed. That Noble sword could re-equip itself to a Noble Knight on the field. Korose had given it to Borz(2700/900); adding 1000 attackpoints and turning his element into darkness. Borz' gemini ability was also unlocked. "Borz can select one of three Noble Arms from my deck. You must choose one to be added to my hand." Korose revealed the Noble Arms of Destiny, Caliburn and another Excaliburn. "..Caliburn." Ion settled for the first of three cards. It did not matter much in his opinion. "I accept that decision." Korose added Noble Arms Caliburn to his hand, and he equipped the sword to his Xyz-monster. Sacred Artorigus(2700/2200) gained 500 attackpoints and the equip spell restored 500 of Korose's lifepoints as well. "I..attack!" Borz took Gallatin and stabbed his sword into the back of Constellar Ptolemy M7. With the stellar dragon dead, Sacred Artorigus had but one enemy to slay. The divine king beheaded Constellar Omega with one swift stroke and inflicted the remaining damage on Ion.

Korose's LP: 4500 Ions LP: 7700

"Ion, I know this will only end one way. You know what you must do! I end my turn!" During the endphase, Noble Knights of the Round Table again counted the Knights that were there; three alive and four dead. "I send Noble Knight Brothers into his graveyard" Now that he had six monsters, he could special summon a Noble Knight from his hand. However his hand was empty, so there was nothing to summon.

"You don't need to tell me how to do my job, K." Ion grumbled as he drew his next card. "..My deck is telling me enough, apparently." It was Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One, which he had to show his opponent. "Rita, did it go down like this for Claud as well?" Ion would not be surprised if these duels had been following a pattern. Though Rita chose to not answer him. "Its fine. You dont need to tell me. I can see that you are still hurt 'by what you had to do." Ion smirked. "I don't blame either of you... You were just doing your _job_. I activate this spell!" Ion played the Seventh One. He called his Starseraph Sentry from the extra deck and upped its rank in an instant. Number 102 was attached to Chaosnumber 102; the Archfiend Seraph(5/2900/2400) had returned. "I will use its effect on your King, Korose! Your monster will lose all of its attackpoints and powers!" The fallen angel readied his bow, firing an arrow of unholy lightning from it. The arrow struck Sacred Artorigus(0/2200) through his chest armor. "Thats just for starters. When Archfiend Seraph ditches its last material, 1500 points of damage are inflicted!" The arrow dispersed, lashing out with wild bolts of chaos energy. "Hfh.." Korose braced himself against the outburst, even as the lightning hit his arms and scorched his sleeves.

Korose's LP: 3000

"You are lucky, K. Had I known I would draw The Seventh One this turn, I wouldn't have let you keep your Caliburn spell." The only reason Korose would survive this turn, was the fact that his Noble Arms had healed 500 of his lifepoints. "Tell me again, how did my luck run out? You, and Azar. You keep trying to convince me that I died, that Claud should have stayed dead. Do you know what that feels like? Let me show you! Chaosnumber 102 attacks!" The Archfiend Seraph flew towards the Noble King, piercing straight through his body like a demonic comet. The surplus damage nearly threw Korose to the ground. "Now you are the one near death, K." After the battle phase, Ion placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

Korose's LP: 100

"I deserve it, perhaps." Korose said, while using the effect of Noble Arms Caliburn again to equip it to Noble Knight Borz(3200/500) this time. "What are you saying?" That remark was so offputting to Ion that the agent forgot what had been on his mind before. "I failed to save you, when it mattered the most. You died in a duel against a common enemy, a team duel." Korose's turn began and he healed his life again with the Caliburn spell. Then he switched Gawayn to attack mode. "I cannot choose your fate anymore." Korose also reactivated the effect of Noble Knight Borz, giving Ion another selection of Noble Arms cards (Noble Arms Arfeudutyr, Excaliburn, Gwenhwyvar the Queen) to choose from. "You're saying you want to leave it up to me?" This time Ion allowed Korose to take the Gwenhwyvar the Queen. "Or are you saying you want to die in my place now to make things even? Because I can assure you that I am not planning on dying."

"Neither was Claud!" Rita suddenly shouted. "But he chose it anyway! Because he knew the hand he had been dealt!" A second time, her true feelings broke through her icy veneer. "Korose, are you going to let him beat you, because of your damned sense of honor and guilt? If you are going to do it for anyone, do it for the real Ion at least!" She pointed at the blonde agent. "You are not Ion, not yet. Korose can not lose to you yet!" Pandora might have called it a fluke, but Rita was sure that another miracle could take place. The real Ion Grissom could show up in the body of this fake. "Not yet Ion? What the hell does that mean? If I am not me, who is? What am I then? I have my memories, my dreams. I _am_ Ion!"

"I can not tell you what you are." Korose re-entered the conversation. "I admit to confusing you and him, you are closer to being the same. You would remember _who_ killed you, if you are truly him! I have to push you further, to make you see!" Korose sent his Noble Knights to attack Ion. The knigth of the chalice planted both the Caliburn and Gallatin swords in the body of Archfiend Seraph and tore the angel to pieces. "Damn it." Ion grunted and groaned again when he took a direct hit from the muscular knight Gawayn. "You're trying to deceive me! You're not gonna put crazy images or words in my head, like you tried with Ariel! Just because I am the last loyal agent, does not mean I will give up like the rest!" It did not seem to be enough damage to weaken Pandora's hold over him. "I activate XYZ Reborn!" Because, while both his Numbers might have been destroyed, Ion quickly resurrected Chaosnumber 102 with his set trap card. The trap also attached itself to Archfiend Seraph as a Xyz-material.

Ions LP: 5500

"Ion. You mean, you saw those memories already?" This was just like with Claud, Rita thought. The way Ion was responding, it sounded like he was getting glimpses of his own past. "They are not memories!" And he had. "It can not be real, that did not happen to me." He had seen the duel Korose kept talking about, a team-match against two masked foes. One resembled the one who called himself Prometheus, the other.. was Esther herself. "If you wanted to convince me that I died at all, you should not have tried to pin the blame on her! She couldn't have done it!" In that 'nightmare' it was that woman who killed him, the woman who he currently saw as his greatest friend. "Ion. You did know her like I did, like we all did. But she lied to us then as well." Agents like Rita were the first to ever see Esther. She had been their Quartermaster, she had not even given them her name. They had no need for names as Agents. "Esther, Pandora, whatever. It has been using us from the start. Dont you remember any of that?"

"We are going about this the wrong way." Korose felt something more nostalgic was needed to shake Ion up. "I summon Heroic Champion Excalibur!" He overlayed Borz with Gawayn and Xyz-summoned the kingsword incarnate, Excalibur(4/2000/2000). "I detach both materials to double my champions attackpoints!" The red warrior absorbed the two Noble Knights into his(4000/2000) blade to double that weapons size. "I set a trap card and end my turn." Now there were nine Noble knights in the graveyard, seven warriors and two kings. Now the third effect of Korose's field spell was awakened, Korose could add any Noble Knight from the grave to his hand. "I use Noble Knights of the Round Table's first effect to send Noble Knight Gwalchavad to my graveyard. I use the third effect to add Noble Gwalchavad to my hand! I use the second effect to special summon that knight from my hand in defense mode, and equip a Noble Arms spell to it directly!" Gwalchavads spirit left the table, right after he had joined the dead, and became material. He(4/1500/1800) was equipped with the Gwenhwyvar. The Queen turned herself into an equip card and added 300 attackpoints to the Knight. Her other effect depended on the element of her knight. Gwalchavad(1800/1800), a light-type, could fend off one effects destruction.

"Excalibur? Heh, you never know when to quit. Or is that me? Or us both?" Ion chuckled briefly. He activated the spell, Cards from the Sky, to banish 1 light-type fairy monster in his hand and draw two cards from his deck. He banished Star Seraph Scout. The turn he used this spell, he could not enter the battle phase or special summon monsters. "You always tried to stop me when I tried something reckless. Even though you could be just as bad. It's just like you though, to want to help everyone else first." Seeing all these Knights working as a team on Korose's side, it was like seeing a group of agents. Ion was sure that this was why Korose joined the agency in the first place.

"Well now you can't take any risk at all." Ion normal summoned the Star Seraph Sword(4/1400/1000) angel and activated a continuous spell. "Spirit Converter! Each endphase I can turn one of my level 4 light monsters into a Xyz-material for a Xyz-monster on the field!" Ion placed a trap card down on the field and let his turn end. "I attach Star Seraph Sword to Archfiend Seraph!" The sword angel transformed into pure energy and began to float around the Chaosnumber. "When Number C102 has two materials, it can detach both to negate its own destruction! You see where I am going with this!?" The unholy angel would inflict another 1500 points of damage if it ever got to detach its last material again. If Korose tried to kill Ions Number now, he would lose the duel instead. Yet that Number was what _had_ to go.

"I did duel with less care in the past, Ion. I believed some hits could be taken in a fair battle, even after I became an agent." Korose's turn began, he drew a monster card. "I learned otherwise." Having to keep dueling with 100 lifepoints was no longer an unfamiliar experience. Not after his trial with the Warrior Echo. "I activate the effect of Gwalchavad! He can return one Knight to my hand, if he can destroy a Noble Arms card equipped to him!" The blonde knights son separated from his Queen. Gwenhwyvar turned into a spirit and sank into the ground to find the Noble Knight Brothers. "I summon this warrior." Korose took that card and placed it on the field. The Brothers were a trio of sibling knights(4/1200/2400) in golden armor. They all counted as one monster, and could only attack if two other Noble Knights fought with them. "Brothers may summon up to two Knights from my hand, when it is normal summoned." This effect called upon one warrior, the Knight of the lake; Bedwyr(4/1600/1500) When summoned, Bedwyr could send a Noble Arms card from the deck to the graveyard. Korose sent Noble Arms of Destiny.

"Noble Knight Brothers has another power! It can return three fallen Noble cards to my deck, to draw one card!" The Brothers each grabbed a Noble Arms spell from the graveyard; Gallatin, Caliburn and Gwenhwyvar, and placed them in Korose's deck. Korose then shuffled his deck and drew his new card. "I special summon Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn from my hand!" Without its equipment, the gemini-monster Gwalchavad had become a normal monster again. Laundsallyn the black knight could summon himself(5/2000/800) by sacrificing that normal monster. "I also enjoyed our work together, in the agency. I believed we were doing the right thing, as did you." In the past Ion had told Korose why he became an agent, and also why he left. "You showed me what the agency was really doing, Ion. You showed me how much I had to atone for after I blindly followed their directives. I owe everyone. It will not end with you.. I..."

"Hold that thought!" Ion used the trap card he had been saving; Torrential Tribute. "Korose, that was a nice speech. But I am going to take this moment for myself! It doesn't matter what you were going to summon now!" As Korose had summoned a monster, the this tidal wave trap would claim every monster on the field. "!" Bedwyr, Black Laundsallyn and the Noble Brothers were swept away by water and destroyed. "I activate the effect of Archfiend Seraph!" Ions monster was not destroyed. His Chaosnumber detached both materials and flew high into the sky to avoid the torrents. "K, If it was really you who failed to save me, then it should be you who loses here!" The last detached card became a bolt of chaos energy, which shot down towards Korose to inflict 1500 points of damage. "Your redemption will only begin now!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 215: All the Kings Men)

**New Cards used by Korose Sonin  
**Effect Veiler  
Noble Knight Gwalchavad  
Noble Knight Brothers

**New Cards used by Ion Grissom  
**Constellar Tempest  
Cards from the Sky  
Spirit Converter


	50. Cipher 215: All the Kings Men

**(Cipher 49) 215: All the Kings Men **

"That.. is what people do, to be happy?" Necara's first run with the rollercoaster was not exactly how she expected it to be. Her heart had not been beating this rapidly since the last time she had a truly enjoyable duel, not even during the time she had let Pandora control her. Yet her body did not agree with the shocks and twists, she felt physically ill. "Yeah. That's what they call fun." Shins exileration was a bit stronger, but only slightly. "Fun." The word tasted bitter on Necara's tongue. "Yes. We should do that again. Or we can go somewhere else." He was starting to enjoy this. This might be what he needed. For a few seconds, Shin could set aside all regret and sorrow. He just lived in the present. "...! No." Sadly the future was right around the corner. "What is it?" Necara noticed Shin having a sudden spasm fit. "Not now. Not another vision."

It was Shins Number, the 62th was warning him of an imminent fate. "Someone is going to.. we have to find the others!"

...

Korose's LP: 600 Ions LP: 5500

"I get told what I need to do to redeem myself all the time, Ion! I am doing this out of my own volition! I will counter your damage with Damage Polarizer!" 1500 points of damage headed Korose's way, which he deftly deflected with his counter trap shield. "Polarizer!?" The lightning that Ions Chaosnumber(5/2900/2400) had unleashed was absorbed by Damage Polarizer. "We may both draw after this trap resolves!" Korose drew a card from his deck, as did Ion.

"You and I are not the only ones at stake in this duel, Ion..." Korose was still without monsters, so he proceeded to his endphase to let his field spell to summon a new Knight. The Noble Knights of the Round Table spell card sent a Noble Knight Peredur from the deck into Korose's graveyard. "I have 12 knights now!" Almost all Noble Knight cards now rested as spirits, unlocking the final ability of the Round Table. Each endphase Korose could drew a card. "I draw! I then activate the third and second effect of my field spell!" Korose's Table summoned the blonde-haired Noble Knight of Peredur(4/1900/300), from Korose's graveyard, in defense mode. It then equipped that warrior with a card in Korose's hand; the Noble Arms Arfeudutyr. He had drawn it just now. Peredurs own hidden gemini effect was released, raising his(5/1900/300) level and switching his element from light to dark.

"Korose, no matter what Azar did to you, it does not change the fact that you a_re_ an agent. So is Rita, so am I." Ion started his turn. He activated a continuous spell, Constellar Belt. From that moment onward, Korose would not be able to negate the effects of light-type monsters on the field. "You know what we do, you know what you did. You still sound like yourself, so how can you not see that you belong on my side?" Ion sent the Archfiend Seraph out to attack Peredur. The knight was destroyed along with the Arfeudutyr sword. "..I activate Peredurs effect." Peredur could recycle a Noble Arms card if its effects had been unsealed before its death. The Noble Arms of Destiny in the graveyard was placed in Korose's hand.

"I turned against the agency, because the oath I swore was predicated on a lie. I did not do this once, I turned my back on them before. You were the same. You still do not remember." The time Ion had helped Azar, those days were undoubtedly part of what Pandora had erased. Only the real Ion could return those memories. Unfortunately for the man of action, Korose had few things to do with his turn and only words to say. "I set a trap card and end my turn." During his endphase he used the four effects of his field spell again. The spell sent Noble Knight Eachtar into his graveyard, and added Noble Knight Bedwyr to his hand. Bedwyr(4/1600/1500) was special summoned from Korose's hand in defense mode, and the Noble Arms of Destiny were equipped to him. The silver shield of Destiny could undo its wielders death by destroying itself instead. Finally, with the fourth effect of the Round Table, Korose drew a new card. Bedwyr also used his own effect to send Noble Arms Gallatin into Korose's cemetery. "I refuse to lose, until you do."

"You refuse?" Ion immediately moved into the battle phase as his turn began. "K, I dont have the faintest idea of what you are trying to tell me. But to me it is clear that you do not have any choice in anything you do! All this defending and hiding, it is not your style!" Archfiend Seraph fired another blast of unholy lightning from his hand. "I did not say I was defending! I activate Avalon!" Korose's trap was turned around. "I must banish five Noble Knights from the cemetery, one of which must be named Artorigus and the other must be named Laundsallyn! I can then destroy all cards on the field!" Sacred Artorigus, Borz, Gawayn, Gwalchavad and Black Laundsallyn were the spirits chosen for this task. The five knights spread out and cut through every card on the field; Korose's other set trap, Constellar Belt and Chaosnumber 102. Bedwyr survived by sacrificing his own Destiny shield. "A halfhearted attack like that wont get anywhere, K!" Ion immediately countered with a quickplay spell. "I activate Second Advent and special summon my destroyed card!"

_The Second Advent, Quickplay Spell  
__If an monster you control was destroyed and sent to the graveyard this turn: special summon that monster from your graveyard.  
__Then your opponen can set 1 card from his/her hand._

The Second Advent healed the wounds of the Archfiend Seraph. At the same time Korose could and did set a trap card from his hand down on his field. "So what if Ion died and I took his place? I am still breathing, I have his experiences! Don't I deserve to live? Who gets to say what makes a man a man?" As they were still in the battlephase, Ion could continue his attacks. Chaosnumber 102 fired another blast and destroyed the now unshielded Bedwyr. "Azar does not want to kill you, Ion. That choice is yours, as it was Clauds!" Rita loudly shouted at the duelist again. "Well, Agent B, My Number is tied to me. It will not go until I go. You, K and Azar can not win unless my life has run out, right? I don't have a choice either here!" It looked like another miracle wasn't happening after all. Rita did not know how to feel about this. "Then it doesn't matter. Either Ion is really gone, or you are already unchangeable." But then, why did Ion almost remember dying at the hands of Pandora..?

"I have to agree" For Korose there had always been only one road. "I take my turn. I control no monsters while my opponent does. I can activate Last Story of the Noble Knights with these settings!" The Last Story was a spell card that brought a Noble Knight back to life and also gave him a brand new equip spell card, also from the graveyard. "I special summon Noble Knight Medraut and equip him with Noble Arms Gallatin!" The wicked knight Medraut(4/1700/1000) escaped his grave, taking the glowing Gallatin with him. Having that sword equipped unlocked Medrauts higher corrupted level and added attackpoints to the now dark-attribute warrior(5/2700/1000).

"I also special summon Noble Knight Eachtar from my graveyard." The torch-carrying knight Eachtar(5/1600/2000) was allowed to special summon himself by banishing two Noble Knights (Drystan &amp; Peredur) from the graveyard. "I now activate Medrauts effect to call upon Artorigus' aid!" Medraut could destroy his own equipment, by summoning a Noble Knight from Korose's deck. Medraut special summoned the normal-monster: Noble Knight Artorigus(4/1800/1800), and then shattered the Gallatin blade. "I give Noble Arms Gallatin to Eachtar now." The broken Noble Arms spell used its inherent effect to repair itself and hand it to a Noble warrior on the field. Eachtar(2600/2000) could make good use of this card.

"Ion, I am fighting you as myself. I am Korose Sonin and Agent K, I am Azars ally and your friend." Noble Knight Artorigus was overlayed with the once-again-powerless Medraut(4/1700/1000). "I Xyz-summon Comic Hero King Arthur!" The Arthurian knights joined to create a less dignified but no less powerful warrior. It was the hero in gold and white armor, King Arthur(4/2400/1200). "Since when..did you have a card like that?" No matter what past Ion had seen, this card was not part of it. Korose had only shown this monster to a select few. "I had this monster, before the Noble Knights and the Heroic Challengers. I was once a savage, who cared about nothing but the battle. The agency changed that and changed me. I can only thank them for that. I can only do that for you. I activate Armored XYZ!" Korose's last spell took a card from his graveyard, Heroic Champion Excalibur. "I turn one fallen Xyz monster into an armor for another Xyz-monster! Arthur gains half the attackpoints of the equipped monster!"" Excalibur the warrior became Excalibur the armor and blade of the heroic king(4/3400/1200). "King Arthur..attacks!"

_Armored XYZ, Equip Spell  
__Target 1 Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; equip that target to 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control. The equipped monster gains half the ATK of the targeted card.  
__During the battle phase, if the equipped monster attacked: You can send all cards equipped to that monster to the Graveyard; that monster can attack once again in a row._

"So you finally did it! You finally built up enough strength for a direct strike! Too bad you took so long!" Ion had been waiting for his chance. He triggered an effect from his hand during the damage step. "I activate Honest! My monster will gain the attackpoints of yours!" By discarding the angel of honesty from his hand, the light-elemental Archfiend Seraph would gain 3400 attackpoints! "An attack was your only answer, but it was also your fatal choice! Now.." However, that attackboost never came. "What..the hell?" Honest was shot down by another card, the trap that Korose had set last turn. "I activate the counter trap, Face-Off, to negate an effect that activated during the damage step!" Honest could not help the fallen angel. Neither could Ion. "You son of a.." His Chaosnumber was killed for the third time by Arthurs Excalibur sword. This time it would not come back.

Ions LP: 5000

"You, you always liked to have your battles as fair and simple as possible." Ions heart pounded faster and faster. "You have always tried to be true to yourself, even now. And I.." His body was reacting to the inevitable, the duel had been decided. "Ion.." Armored XYZ allowed Korose to remove all equipments from his Comic Hero to add one more attack to his offense. Arthur(2400/1200) discarded the Champions Excalibur and grabbed his own sword. "I attack again." One more swipe with the blade and the agent was brought down to his knees. The Noble Knight Eachtar remained. "Korose... What I am now." Ions ramblings made Korose hold back histhird attack. "You... know the answer?"

Ions LP: 2600

"I am not Ion, not even human. I am just.. taking a body for a ride." He laughed. Nervously or joyfully, the way he did it made it sound vague. "I think I can hear him, hear me. I don't know it at all. Maybe I am nothing, maybe I am just a mouthpiece for the lady upstairs. Just a part of our Quartermaster." Ion seized his arm to stop himself from trembling and he stared Korose right in the eye. "Do it. It is what he wants, what I want. It is the only way to be whole!" There was no hesitation, not in his voice or in his eyes. "I hear you." Korose pointed forward. "I declare a direct attack!" Eachtar took Gallatin and plunged the sword deep into Ions body.

Ions LP: 0

...

There might have been miles and miles between Dakar and Ariel in the streets and Ion on the airport, but the moment of his defeat was felt without a seconds delay. "!" This close, the pain was equivalent to being hit by a static overload, Ariel did not know what came over her. "Ariel?" Dakar had experienced it as well, he was still one of the Seven. However the degree of agony he experienced was nothing like his sisters. "No. Impossible. Impossible!" She was holding her head, covering her ears. "Ariel! What's wrong?" This had to be more than just the shock of losing an overhundred number. "Hear her.. inside." She was rambling, because her mind was being bombarded with screams that came from within. Dakar was not connected to 'it'. She was. "Again, lost another, can not find him, can not put him back together. Why, why, why, why.." She had no control over it, Ariel could only repeat what she heard. "It's Pandora!?" The screams could only belong to The Eight. His sister had to endure Pandora's emotions as well. She was the last of Its subjects that was still awake. "This..has to end.." Ariel declared, before vanishing from Dakars sight. "Ariel? No!"

She teleported straight to the airport, to where Ion had his duel. "Ariel?" Rita and Korose were still here too. But Ariel had no eyes for them. She walked right towards Ion. "Ion. How..did this happen?" The agent laid flat on the ground, halfconscious and unmoving. "It's my time.. Ariel." Despite everything he sounded remarkably calm. "Don't say that! What about..what about all the things you still wanted to do, the places you wanted to see!? You have plenty of time!" Ariel tried to keep him awake, shouting at him to keep his eyes open. She was wasting her strength. "I have seen plenty, I have done plenty. Knowing how I went..originally, makes me happy." Ion had accepted his fate, he had accepted his other self and his true past. "No! You can't leave! Not you too!" But for Ariel it was too much, she had already lost two people she held dear. "Ariel. Your heart is too big.. always has been." He was smiling, while she could only cry. "Don't blame them. They did what I would have..done. They made things the way.. they.. we...re..." No more words could come out..

He died with that smile.

"No." She shook him. "Ion..Please.." She lifted him. The body was limp. "Don't do this!" She tried to give him energy, she tried to use her Numbers power to heal him, to give him new energy. It did not work. Nothing worked. "NO!"

"I..Ariel." Korose tried to speak with her, to help her as he would help any other who was grieving. That this had to happen, pained him too. Yet his own feelings could wait. "You." Unfortunately that was the wrong approach to take. "You did this, didn't you?" Ariel thought only about Korose now, about the man who had killed Ion in battle. "You all did! Dakar was supposed to distract me while you take care of Ion! You killed us all!" She should never have trusted them or let her brother lead her astray. "We didn't! Xander is still alive, and Subito killed himself!" Rita tried to yell some sense into her. Harshness was the only tone Ariel could understand. "Shut up! You will be next!" It still did not divert her anger away from her initial target. "Korose! I will take revenge for Ion! You will Duel me!"

Korose's LP: 600 Ariels LP: 8000

"What?" To Rita's surprise, Ariel had jumped in straight where Ion had left off. It was no surprise that Korose's lifepoints stayed the same, but his field did not change either? Eachtar and Comic Hero king Arthur were still there. "Then does that mean she gets to attack right away?" This seemed to just be a continuation of the last duel. The rules set by the Echoes were more dangerous than they had assumed.

"Mermaid Shark!" Ariel did not spend time working rules out anyway. She immediately summoned a blue shark(1/100/300) with a mermaid at the tip of its nose. "I can take a level 3,4 or 5 fish monster from my deck when this monster is normal summoned!" The Mermaid Shark placed a Tripod Fish in her hand. "Then I activate Big Wave Small Wave! I destroy all water monsters on the field to special summon the same amount of water monsters from my hand!" A large wave swept Mermaid Shark away. The following smaller waves brought out a large rock-like fish(7/2800/2200). "Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth! I activate its effect to special summon as many level 4 or lower fish monsters as I can from my deck!" Ariel had to discard a card, Tripod Fish, and could then pull four monsters from her deck. The Coelacanth special summoned Hammer Shark(4/1700/1500), Double Shark(4/1200/1600), Spear Shark(4/1600/1400) and Shocktopus(4/1600/800).

"Double Xyz-summon!" The four seamonsters were overlayed into two separate Rank 4 Xyz-monsters, each with 2 materials. "Bahamut Shark!" Double and Shocktopus combined into the winged shark dragon(4/2600/2100). "And Number 101: Silent Honor ARK!" Spear and Hammer formed her Overhundred Number, the spike-covered submarine ark(4/2100/1000). "I activate Bahamut Sharks effect! It skips its attack this turn to summon a rank 3 water monster from my extra deck!" The Bahamut detached one material and special summoned the Submersible Carrier Aero Shark(4/1900/1000). "Then by using a rank 3 water monster and its attached cards as the materials, I can Xyz-summon Full-Armored Black Ray Lancer from my extra deck!" The metallic shark twins separated into orange and black plates. Their body formed an orange armor for a black seadevi(3/2100/600). The effect of the spearthrowing Black Ray Lancer(2300/600) gave it 200 attackpoints for each of its materials.

"!" Korose was overwhelmed by the amount of Xyz monsters Ariel had summoned in one turn. There was nothing he could do against it. "I meant no harm, Ariel. You are my comrade just as Ions had been." Even if he would lose here, he wanted her to know his stance. "I told you to be quiet!" Ariel had heard too many apologies already. "I am all thats left, Pandora is.. I am.." Ariel wiped her tears away. "I will not lose what Pandora worked so hard for! Silent Honor ARK, use your effect on King Arthur!" The ark opened its inner core, and detached two materials to absorb the special summoned Comic Hero. Korose's monster was attached to Number 101. "Ion will not have died for nothing!" She entered the battle phase. The Ancient Coelacanth made the first attack and crushed Noble Knight Eachtar with its tail.

Korose's LP: 400

"Ariel. Wait!" At that time Dakar warped to the scene. It had taken him longer than he would have liked to find the right location. "Don't do it! You know something is wrong with this world, you know we are not enemies!" He had made too much progress with her to lose it all now. "Too late!" Unfortunately letting go was exactly what he had to do. She already had. "I don't care anymore! I can only trust myself now! Korose.. it is over!" Silent Honor ARK attacked Korose directly, firing a beam straight through his chest. "I.." He could see nothing but darkness after that..

Korose's LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher 216: A Story about Two Knights)

**New Cards used by Korose Sonin  
**Noble Knight Peredur  
Last Story of the Noble Knights

_-  
Armored XYZ (+)_

-  
Damage Polarizer  
Avalon

_(+ Based on the Spell used in YGO Zexal)_

**New Cards used by Ion Grissom  
**Honest

_-  
The Second Advent_

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Mermaid Shark  
Full-Armored Black Ray Lancer


	51. Cipher 216: A Story of Two Knights

**(Cipher 50) 216: ****A Story about Two Knights**

"Guys!" When Shin burst into the haunted house, running through the hole in the wall, his terror was at peak level. "Oh no." He did not see Dakar there, or Korose. "No, I was too late!" Instead he saw Xander and Azar, lying unconscious. They could be dead for all he knew. "Shin? What the hell? Where have you been, what are you late for?" The only one who was still there to talk to him, was Ruby. "I..vision..my Number." Putting sentences together was difficult for Shin in his panicking state. "His Number gave him a glimpse of the future. It promised the death of someone he knew." So Necara, who showed up too, passed on his information. "Death? Shin, Azar isn't dead.. neither is Xander! They're just not awake." Ruby at least could lay some concerns to rest. However this did nothing to change the fact that Number 62's predictions were always correct. So not only was she was starting to get worried herself, Shin still had enough reason to stay freaked out. "..I am at the wrong place! Where are the others? Why is this place so banged up? You were attacked?"

"Dakar took Ariel to try and convince her of what Pandora is doing. Ion and Korose left too to duel somewhere." That was all Ruby could say. She had not seen anything or heard from them since. "Then we gotta go after them!" Shin shouted. "How? Even if we knew where they were, how would we get there?" Necara tried to point out the futility of it all. If she could not sense them, they were definitely not in the neighborhood. "Can't you do something? You have a powerful card too, dont you?" He turned on her out of desperation, grabbing her by the shoulders. "No, I..it. isn't going to help." She did not even want to mention that The End seemed to grow weaker and weaker still. Even if it hadn't been, all that her Numberless angel could do was cause destruction. She had not needed a different power before now. "No." Shin was out of options. "N.. oh?"

Shin shuddered. A soft noise came from behind him; a fourth person. "!? You.. you're back!?"

...

Korose's LP: 0 Ariels LP: 8000

The agent of Noble knights had been overwhelmed and brought down by Ariels Number. He did not get to utter so much as a syllable before the lack of lifepoints took their toll on his system. "..." Korose dropped to the pavement with a hard thud. "Korose!" Rita rushed to his side. "Now you!" Ariel followed her movements. Rita had few lifepoints left, Ariel could easily defeat her in a duel with the monsters she had on her field now. "Ariel, stop!" Dakar had to prevent this. It meant having to do what he never desired. "Your duel is with me!"

"Dakar?" He was her opponent now, the 104th had challenged the 101st. "Rita! Is Korose.." But before he could proceed, he had to know Korose's condition. "He's alive!" Thankfully Rita could feel his heart beating under his chest. The agent had been knocked out, that was all. "_He_ is." Ariel looked to her left. A body lied there, never breathing again. "Ion is not. You killed them, you killed them all. Now you are going to do the same to me?" She shook her head. "Xander is dead too, isn't he? You just used an illusion on me to make me think something else!" Ariel did not know what was real anymore, everyone was a liar.. everyone except 'her'. "Ariel, I made a promise. I will not break it!" Dakar shouted. "It is..my turn." As Ariel had used her 'first' turn to take down Korose, he could attack her back. These connected duels treated this as just another turn in an ongoing fight. "I did not want this to happen again either!" Instead Dakar placed a monster card face-down, and a trap card as well.

"Dakar!? If you want to stop her, you will have to.." Rita was already upset with Dakar, for sticking to the defense. "I know this is my fight, Rita. Leave me to it.." Dakar had his plan for him and his sister. This would be their second chaotic duel and he now had to save her. "Again." Ariel could only see this second round as a useless repeat. "I won then and I am stronger now, Dakar.. This time I am not affraid to beat you!" She detached another material from Bahamut Shark(4/2600/2100). The shark dragon gave up its attack this turn to special summon a rank 3 water monster, Tri-Edge Levia(3/1800/1500), from the extra deck. "Any monster that Tri-Edge Levia battles is banished!" It went without saying that Ariel knew her brothers deck through and through. If he was defending, his face-down card was either Gravekeepers Spy or Gravekeepers Nobleman. Levia was the perfect answer to those Keepers. "I will attack with Full-Armored Black Ray Lancer first!" Her sea devil(4/2300/600) in shark armor set off the battle phase. "When Lancer destroys a monster, one of your spell or trap cards is destroyed along with it!"

"Then I will activate that card before it is destroyed!" Dakar flipped the set spell, Book of Moon. "The Book of Moon targets Tri-Edge Levia!" Out of all threats to his plan, the leviathan was the greatest. The book switched the monster to a face-down defense position. "Something like that, suits you.." Flip effects had always been a favorite of her brother. "My attacks continue!" Ray Lancer stabbed Dakars set monster, a book carrying apostle(3/1000/1000), with its black harpoon. "You destroyed Gravekeepers Nobleman! Now I can set one Gravekeeper from my deck!" Exactly as his sister had predicted, his defending monster had been the Noble Keeper. Her effect special summoned Gravekeepers Spy to his field in face-down defense position.

"Rgh." Ariel made Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth(7/2800/2200) crush the Spy(4/1200/2000) with its entire body. "And now you summon your Nobleman again." The Spy's effect was no mystery either. When flipped, even in battle, Gravekeepers Spy could special summon a Gravekeeper with 1500 attackpoints or less, from the deck. A second Nobleman(3/1000/1000) was summoned in defense position. "Which does the same as the first." Number 101: Silent Honor ARK(4/2100/1000) blew up the Gravekeeper with a volley of torpedoes. The destroyed Noblemans effect placed a second Gravekeeper Spy down on Dakars field. "You may be using the same cards, but you are not the same Dakar. I will destroy everything you have until I get my brother back!"

"You never lost me, Ariel. We both just changed... And there are still some cards you do not know about." Dakars turn came and he flipped his second Gravekeepers Spy(4/1200/2000). Her flip effect special summoned a Gravekeepers Descendant(4/1500/1200) from the deck this time. "You mean the Divine Beasts?" Rita asked none too subtly. Then again 'those cards' were the exact opposite of subtle. "No. Not them." Dakar had not drawn any of them yet. "Something extra..." He placed Gravekeepers Spy on top of the Descendant, overlaying them to Xyz-summon a rank 4 Xyz-monster. "I summon Evilswarm Exciton Knight!" A noble yet demonic fencer(4/1900/0), wearing a white cape and insect-helmet. "The Swarm?!" They had been the calling card of Dusk, the bringer of Chaos. Evilswarm might not have been a terror of recent days, but they had forever infested Ariels nightmares. "Now_ how_ did you get that card?" Rita had to ask again.

"When Azar gave me part of Terminus' power, he also gave me back a part of the chaotic powers I once had; the same power that started all of this. The swarm of Chaos lives on in a purer and nobler form! If my enemy controls more cards than I do, Evilswarm Exciton Knight can destroy all cards on the field besides itself!" The Knight drew his rapier and started counting. "One..against five. Ariel, your monsters are gone!" Exciton Knight advanced and made a continuous attack against all of Ariels monsters. Bahamut Shark, Deepsea King Coelacanth, Tri-Edge Levia and Fully-Armored Black Ray Lancer were all destroyedby its quick thrusts. "No! I can negate Number 101's destruction!" By detaching the absorbed Noble Knight Eachtar from her Xyz-monster; Silent Honor ARK could parry the Evilswarms effect. "You may take the rest, but my Number will stay with me!"

"That is the exact thing that stands between us, Ariel. As long as you have that Number, I have to keep fighting you!" Dakar moved into his second main phase. He activated two spells. The first was the familiar Gravekeepers Stele, which placed two dead Gravekeepers (Spy, Nobleman) back into his hand. "I activate Guarded Treasure now! I can discard 5 cards from my hand, to drew 2 new ones!" Next Dakar sent his entire hand into the graveyard, and he gained a new monster and a new trap card. They were placed face-down in the right zones. "Five cards for two? What the hell?" Rita accosted Dakar for his seemingly poor tactics once again, wondering if he could even count. "There is more to it, Rita. Every draw phase, I can draw two cards instead of one... I end my turn now."

"Dakar.. the Numbers are alive too. You know that when you hurt me, you hurt him." Ariel drew a card from her deck. "When you make me angry, you make it angry! I activate Rank-Up Magic: Quick Chaos!" The airport exploded with red energy. The power of chaos targeted the 101st Number and evolved it into the next rank.. The machine of ARK became an xyz-material to xyz-summon the knight of DARK(5/2800/1500). "Silent Honor DARK! Absorb that monster!" Number C101 could target any special summoned monster. The Evilswarm Exciton Knight that disgusted her so was taken and attached it to the Dark Knight as an Xyz-material. "Then attack!" Silent Honor DARK fired an energy blast from its red trident. The energy burned Dakars set Gravekeeper(3/1200/1500) to a crisp. "I activate the effect of Gravekeepers Recruiter." Dakar could now add a Gravekeeper with 1500 or less defense points to his hand. The card he chose to add was Gravekeepers Commandant. "Necrovalley will not help you now, Dakar. It cant keep monsters from leaving the graveyard, it only stops other effects from taking monsters out!" Ariel placed a card down in her spell/trap zone and ended her turn. "My Number knows my desire, Kapha made it that way. Nothing stays gone, nothing can keep it dead. That is how I wanted it to be.. and now.. I cant."

"Don't you think I know that? I was there. Every time you needed help, someone to talk to..." For Dakar it could be as simple as saying something that made her laugh, but seeing her smile was worth everything. "Ion was right. You care deeply about others. There is nothing wrong with that, but it means you feel the bad just as much as the good." Dakar used the effect of his spell, Guarded Treasure, to draw two cards during his draw phase. "You are not wrong. It is the world. The world has made us the monsters." Dakar then activated yet another Gravekeepers Stele spell card, adding Gravekeeper Descendant and Gravekeeper Spy back to his hand. "You always loved fairytales, with knights and dragons. You liked that world more than ours. To believe in something magical.. She twisted that. Pandora made you believe in her."

"I do. And do you believe in Azar?" She turned his words back on him. "No. I believe in what he represents. Freedom.. peace. What Pandora created is neither peaceful nor just." Dakar activated a trap card next, Call of the Haunted. "I use my trap to special summon Ra's Disciple from the graveyard!" The living dead cried out, as the trap resurrected the apostle of Ra(4/1100/600). "Here he goes again." Rita said to herself, as the same effects from before took place. The summoned Disciple used its effect to summon two more Ra's Disciples(4/1100/600) from the deck. Dakar then tributed all three. "!" And a storm of lightning bolts crashed down from the clouds who had turned dark. "It's not the same?" Rita did not recognize this deity. The thunder stretched out like a great serpent. "I tribute summon Osiris the Sky Dragon!" The third divine beast was a titanic red dragon(10/3000/3000). Its body coiled around the planes in the airport, and its two mouths loomed over Silent Honor DARK. "Osiris' attack and defense point are equal to the number of cards in my hand, multiplied by a thousand!" Dakars hand held three cards. "Osiris attacks Chaosnumber 101!" The dragon god opened its first mouth and released a wide beam that blasted the dark knight into oblivion.

Ariels LP: 7800

Unfortunately the Chaosnumber had a Xyz-material attached to itself when it was destroyed. "I swore that I would not let nothing happen to my Number! God will have too face that promise too!" With the original Number 101 now in her graveyard, Silent Honor DARK could special summon itself back to Ariels field. The revived knight would also restore her life, giving her lifepoints equal to its 2800 original attackpoints. "But Osiris can weaken it!" Dakars the red god opened its second mouth. "Whenever a monster is summoned to your side of the field, it loses 2000 attackpoints! If that monsters attack is reduced to zero, it dies!" A focused current of lightning barreled down towards the resummoned Chaosnumber, striking it square in the chest. Silent Honor DARK(800/1500) survived, but would not hold many battles now. Also, because Osiris was tribute summoned, it could not be targeted by Chaosnumber 101's absorption effect. "But the more life she has, the harder it will be to to snap her out of it." Rita shouted. "I realize that! I just don't see any other way to fight her!"

Ariels LP: 10600

"There are other ways."

"Huh.. that's Azars voice?" Dakar looked around him, something was new. "What the.." He was not in the airport anymore, neither were the others. Something or someone had forcibly warped them away? "What is going on?" Ariel was just as lost as Dakar and Rita. The duel was still going on, except now they were standing in the middle of a ghost-town with abandoned warehouses and silos. It looked vaguely familiar. "Ruby, Shin, Necara?" They were not alone anymore either, three more duelists had joined them. Xanders body had been placed next to Korose and Ion as well. "But where is.." One unconscious person seemed to be absent. "He cam back, is what happened." Ruby said and pointed to the sky. "!" There everyone could see Azar, flying above them. He was covered in the same peaceful Light as always. "Returned? From where?" Though she did not look directly into the light, Ariel was not scared by it. Whatever Azar had done, his powers could not have grown much. "You wont change me with your powers, Azar! You will not turn me into your slave like you have done with everyone else!" As long as she had CXyz Pandorian Hope, she was safe. She would be safe..

"Extend Virtual Envoy."

Azar had spoken. "?" To Dakar and Rita, those words had no meaning. "Huh.." For Ariel it meant everything. "What did you say?..gwaaah!" She felt a rush of energy and took in a deep breath of air. It was as if she had been stuck at the bottom of an ocean, and could only now reach the surface. "Wha..what was that?" Azar had clearly done something to her, but when and how? "I told you the true name of the one with many names. Esther, Pandora, the Eight, the Infinite; it all started.. from EVE."

"Knowing the first name of a catalyst diminishes their strength. It diminishes the hold it has over your Number. It disconnects It from the world, allowing us to take Pandora down without endangering anyone else." Azar floated down to the ground, decreasing the radiance of his aura. "Ariel, you can push aside the lies and seek the truth." Azar spread his arms. "I took us all here to help you remember. You only saw this place from under the ground. You were not here when we first found this place from above. This is where Pandora was born... Kapha created the artificial envoy to communicate with the other dimension, and gave it its name. The first portal is buried beneath us. A probe carrying EVE was sent into it and came back with one of the Numbers. That is the real story of your friend_._"

"Azar..how..how did you get her name?" Rita was astonished that he made it back, let alone that he got what he wanted. "I already explained to the others, but I can tell you as well. In my mind I conquered the last trial. The Echoes relented and allowed me to open the portal to the Numbers world. Once there, in the place where time has no relevance, I could find the answer. All that happened was still happening and would still occur. From our point of view, EVE travelled there in the past. From their point of view, the probe with her data on it still existed in the present." It was difficult to explain in three-dimensional terms. Now that he was back in his own body he had to forget much of this experience too. At least the crucial information stayed with him. "Then, what about Ariel?" It sounded like Dakar would not need to finish his duel with her. He hoped to god he did not have to. "It is up to her. I will not force her. One of you must win this duel, but it no longer matters who." He paused to look at Ion. "I know what happened and had to happen. The losses of the past and the future, will not fall on any of you."

"Up to me?" Ariel said as she started her turn. "What about..me?" She drew her card. "What? She still wants to duel?" Ruby grumbled. Hadn't she been cured? "I summon Silent Wobby!" But indeed, Ariel kept on dueling and special summoned a carpet shark monster(4/1000/2000) from her hand. "That monster has less than 1000 attackpoints?!" Dakar thought his Divine Beast would destroy it, but the Silent shark was not summoned to her field. It appeared on his. "Silent Wobby can be special summoned to my enemy's side! Your god does not use its second mouth on monsters that are under your control, does it? His new controller gains a new card, while his new opponent gains 1000 lifepoints!" Dakar had to draw a card from his deck, further empowering the Sky Dragon(4000/4000). Ariels lifepoints meanwhile rose even more. "Ariel, why?" Now there _was _a special summoned monster on Dakars side. "Ariel?" The girl used the effect of the Chaosnumber 101 to attach Silent Wobby to itself. "I am** not Ariel." **Her voice became distorted. It did not even sound like it was coming from her mouth anymore.

Ariels LP: 11600

**"I am the 101st."**

(To be Continued in Cipher 217: The Rest is Bedlam)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Evilswarm Exciton Knight  
Osiris the Sky Dragon (+)

-  
Guarded Treasure

-  
Call of the Haunted

_(+ renamed for story purposes, and because)_

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Silent Wobby


	52. Cipher 217: The Rest is Bedlam

**(Cipher 51) 217: The Rest is Bedlam**

Dakars LP: 8000 Ariels LP: 11600

"_You_ are her Number?" That was hot his sisters voice, that was not even remotely close. "But that's not.. how?" The thing that spoke was the black sea knight, Silent Honor DARK(8/800/1500). "He possessed her.." Necara could tell why this was, she had seen this before. Azar had also experienced a similar case. "Just like Xander and Judith." It made sense. The higher a Number got, the more power they could exert over their host. Numbers 92 and 96 had overpowered their masters body and will as well. "But why now? Why didn't any of the others do it?" Rita had never felt any influence from her own Overhundred Number. It had always been.. "Pandora."

**"Pandora." **The Knight uttered more words from its own sealed mouth. **"Seven of us.. are above One Hundred. Seven separated from Numeron, from code and Terminus. As long as Pandora controlled our human partners, _we_ did not need to step in. Now all but I have been purified with Chaos' power and Numerons power. All but I have been layed to rest." **Azar had told Ariel Pandora's true name, but that did nothing to weaken Number 101 itself. It had no true name. "But why? I thought you came down to our world to fight against the other Numbers? You were drawn to us for our selflesness and ability to resist the control of Numbers!" Dakar had assumed the Overhundred Numbers would be on their side, not Pandora's. **"Eight desires what we desire. Her desire became clear to us when she absorbed second of seven into her being and claimed StarSeraph Sentry. We both saught balance, we both wanted your world. We did not want humanity to be absorbed and become like us. Because we.. treasure postive emotions."** The knight pointed at Rita and Dakar. **"Love, Charity."** Then his hand waved over Xander and Ions bodies. **"Temperance, Dilligence."** Finally it placed a hand on Ariels head. **"Kindness. These forces drew us."**

"Drew you? What you're saying is that in the end you are just as bad as the rest! Instead of sins you are addicted to virtues!" Dakar could not believe what he was hearing. These things were still only it for themselves. "You just want to save our world because you would not be able to taste those emotions anymore otherwise! You, you will get out of my sister right now!" His sister was just a slave to this monster, not a partner. They were despicable, worse than Pandora. He had never felt this much rage. **"You will try. But you know you can not kill me. This host knows every strength and weakness of your deck, she cannot hide her knowledge from me."** The dark knight switched itself to defense position and ended its turn.** "There is little you can do."**

"Rgh!" Dakar drew two cards thanks to Guarded Treasure. Neither of them could break this stalemate right now. _"He is right."_ His red dragon Osiris(10/6000/6000) could easily destroy Silent Honor DARK. But now that_ that_ Xyz-monster had a material attached, it would just revive itself again and give Ariel even more lifepoints. The more life she had, the stronger Silent Honor DARK became. Even worse, if Dakar lost to her. She would have over 13000 lifepoints to duel with, against his friends who all had less then 2000 lifepoints. "I set three cards, two in my spell/trap zone and one monster!" Dakar then discarded Gravekeepers Commandant from his hand, to add Necrovalley to his hand. He placed that field spell on his field, covering the fake-ghost town in sand. "End turn!" Osiris(2000/2000) grew weaker now that Dakar used all but 2 cards in his hand.

"Why.. If you were against the Numbers and with Pandora, why did you help defeat Kapha?" Necara now asked the Number. She did not like not understanding everything. Ariel could not have beaten Kapha without Number 101.** "The First was an obstacle. It needed to be taken down. That is why I chose her as a host on that day, once she was cleaned of other Numbers."** It spoke while a silenced Ariel activated a spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon. The typhoon destroyed Dakars Necrovalley field immediately.. **"Kapha's death was unintended. You forced him to merge too soon, host of the End, when you mortally wounded him. Pandora wanted to ensure his intelligence would not be lost. Either she or he would do as one to give Lucifer an identity." **Then Ariels hand placed a trap card down and the turn was ended. **"You might desire to kill this body, you might make an attempt. We know of your spirit, of your lack of virtue."**

"I wouldn't.." Necara stammered.

"You think you know virtue?" Dakar cut in loudly, as he drew another pair of cards, powering Osiris(4000/4000) back up. "Silent Hono.. feh! You wouldn't know what that means! Ariel would, we all would! Necara is a thousand times more virtuous than you are!" This Number had said enough, it was time to get rid of it for good. "You can special summon yourself whenever you are destroyed, but only if the original Number 101 card is in your graveyard!" Dakar flip summoned his set monster; a hooded assassin(4/1700/0). "Gravekeepers Ambusher! It can return one card to the bottom of the deck when it is flipped face-up! I will return Number 101: Silent Honor ARK." The Ambusher used his throwing knive to whack the Xyz-monster back into Ariels extra deck. Now Osiris could kill Chaosnumber 101, and it would stay in the graveyard. **"Torrential Tribute!"** Except Ariel was forced to chain her trap card to the summoned monster. **"The host warned me of a power like that, so we prepared! Now all are mortal, and all will die!" **A torrent of water took over the field, drowning the dark knight along with Gravekeepers Ambusher and Osiris. "Grah!"

"Damn you. I activate Gravekeeper Ambushers second effect! I can put Necrovalley back in my hand when it is destroyed after it was flipped!" The ambusher tossed the field spell card back to Dakar just before it disappeared beneath the waves. Dakar quickly reactivated the Valley spell. "I then summon Gravekeepers Descendant!" He normal summoned the prince(4/1500/1200) of the keeper clan. Like all Gravekeepers he(2000/1700) gained 500 attack and defense points from Necrovalley. "I declare a direct attack, while also activating Magicians Circle!" Dakar played one of the trap cards he had set. "When a spellcaster attacks, I can special summon another from my deck, if it has less than 2000 attackpoints!" As all Gravekeepers were spellcasters, Dakar had plenty to choose from. "Gravekeepers Heretic!" The Circle brought out a white-haired bandit(4/1800/1500). Even the clan outcast(2300/2000) benefitted from the necro field spell. "I will attack directly with him too!" The Descendant and Heretic both hit Ariel with their staffs. She was knocked to the ground. She did not even scream. "Ariel, hang in there!"

Ariels LP: 7300

"Did it..did it do anything?" Ruby wondered if Ariel was free to act again, now that the Chaosnumber was off the field. "..." Unfortunately Ariel remained silent, as she stood up and as she drew her next card. "No. She is still under its control." Azar could sense it, and see it. The card she drew, it was Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One. "Ariel, fight it!" Dakar cried out. Ariel activated it in spite of him. Even though one Chaosnumber 101 was in the graveyard, her rank-up spell could take the original Silent Honor ARK in her extra deck and evolve it into a second Silent Honor DARK(5/2800/1500). This body was still the same enemy. **"A useless act, host of the 104th. I return time and time again." **Right away the 101st tried to use its effect to absorb a monster that Dakar had special summoned. **"What is.."** However Gravekeepers Heretic could not be attached to the Chaosnumber. The Gravekeeper bandit was unaffected by other card effects as long as Necrovalley was active. "No, it is not useless! She is stronger than you give her credit for!" Dakar restrengthened his words to his sister. "Ariel, you can do it! You can pull yourself away!"

"I can.." Ariels hands were shaking. **"A feeling?"** The Dark knight watched, unable to stop her from reaching for one card in her hand. She activated a continuous spell, Fountain of Youth, which would allow her to target cards in her own graveyard despite the effect of Necrovalley. **"Resistance?" **

_Fountain of Youth, Continuous Spell  
__Negate the effects of all card(s) that would prevent you from targeting or banishing cards in your graveyard._

Ariel then activated Salvage, taking back two water-type monsters with less than 1500 attackpoints (Double-Fin Shark, Silent Wobby) from her graveyard. It was Double-Fin Shark(4/1000/2000) that she normal summoned, which triggered that sharks effect. It could special summon a level 3 or 4 water/fish monster from the graveyard. Though she could not use that monsters effects, or summon non-water monsters this turn. "..not yours." Double-Fin special summoned the two-mouthed Double Shark(4/1200/1600). "Not anyone's.." She also activated the spell card, Surface. The sea-revival spell special summoned a fish with tendrils from the graveyard; Tripod Fish(3/300/1300) back to life. This summon activated the effect that belonged to Tripod Fish; raising one seamonsters level by 1. It(4/300/1300) targeted itself. "I am me! I have my strength!" Ariel overlayed Tripod Fish with Double-Fin Shark and Double Shark. **"The.. other."** The Chaosnumber roared as Ariel Xyz-summoned her triple-material Xyz-monster; Number 32: Shark Drake(4/2800/2100). "She did it!" Ruby cheered.

**"This is futility. Her Number will only ensure our victory."** Silent Honor DARK entered the battle phase anyway, now with the great red shark dragon. It launched forward and slashed through Gravekeepers Descendant with its claws. "But its effect will not work; 101st! Necrovalley prevents any monsters in the graveyard from being targeted! Fpuntain of Youth only opens up _your_ graveyard." Dakars monster could not be revived by the effect of Number 32, the monster who liked to bring back its prey in a weaker state. **"It matters not to us."** The Dark Knight made the next attack, skewering Gravekeepers Heretic with its red trident. Then it ended its turn. **"The host is strong, but the Number is stronger still. Stronger than even you."**

Dakars LP: 6700

"?" Dakar was shocked to find out what was among the cards he drew during at the start of his turn. "The Seventh One?" Because of the rank-up-spells effect, it had to be revealed as soon as it was taken from the deck. "What? Pandora's card? It..it should be safe to use now right?" Unlike when Rita used it, Dakar had a lot more lifeforce. "Theoretically." Azar said with caution. The fact that he had heard Pandora's true name should also have made a difference. But the Overhundred Numbers were not their allies. "Then why.." Only Dakar could tell how it really felt. The card in his hand was bitterly cold, he wanted to activate it just so it would stop touching his skin. **"Do it." **His opponent commanded. "Wh-what?" Dakars troubles had only just begun. "I..activate Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One!" Without giving it a moments thought, he played the card and ranked up his Overhundred Number. Masquerade in the extra deck was attached to Umbral Horror Masquerade(5/3000/1500) and chaos Xyz-summoned from the extra deck. "No. Why did I.." ChaosNumber 104 was going against him. The demonic masked jester moved into the battle phase without his consent and attacked Number 32. "No, stop!" Dakar could not get it to obey, Umbral Horror Masquerade blew Shark Drake to bloody pieces with one blast from its staff.

Ariels LP: 7100

"I did not tell it to do that!" Dakar summoned Gravekeepers Assailant(4/2000/2000) and placed another trap card down. That much he could still do. "No, he did! The 101st is controlling the 104th!" Necara knew who to accuse.** "I did. The Seven all follow each other. My presence overrides their masters voice." **The Chaosnumber assumed it was his turn now, and drew its card. **"We share the same needs and wants." **That card; Overlay Capture, was activated. The spell captured the material of Dakars Xyz-monster and then attached itself to one of DARK's Xyz-monsters. **"Your Masquerade will not harm me now."** It gave itself the spell as a material of course. This was not good_ "Without an Xyz-material, Masquerade cant negate the opponents monster effects..." _Azar saw how the Chaosnumbers were conspiring to bring Dakar down together. There had to be a way to silence Number 101. Except now Silent Honor DARK moved to target and absorb Dakars Chaosnumber.

"It will, if I force it too!" Dakar fipped a continuous trap card. "Seperate Ways! Once a turn, I can discard one card to activate my monsters effects, regardless of its costs and conditions!" He discarded Gravekeepers Spy from his hand. Now even if the original Masquerade was not attached. Umbral Masquerade could and would use its power. "Number C104 negates your monsters effect on the field, discards one card from your hand, and halves your lifepoints!" The Horror illusionist twirled its staff to unleash its curse upon the Dark Knight and Ariel. "I will not be used. I will not let my sister be used! You will not get away with it, first of the seven!"

Ariels LP: 3550

**"You think this corners us? Your sisters mind will simply give us the answers again." **Silent Honor DARK did not fear destruction, but it could not allow the other Overhundred Number to live now that Dakar had activated Separate Ways. **"Of course. We must leave the field."** The Dark Knight could only try to absorb one monster each turn. However if it were to die and resummon itself, that limit would be reset. **"That is how it shall be!" **The battle phase began; one Chaosnumber charged towards the other. "..." Silent Honor DARK was destroyed when Umbral Horror Masquerade counter-attacked. **"We return again!" **The 101st had materials attached, and its original form was in the graveyard. It could special summon itself during this battle... yet it was not to be.

Ariels LP: 3350

"No, not this time! I use Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley!" Dakars Counter trap was revealed. "If both a Gravekeeper and Necrovalley are on the field, this trap can be activated to negate any effect and destroy the source!" A sarcophagus was placed before Dakar. **"Any..effect?" **The Dark Knight was dragged into the sarcophagus and sealed inside. This tomb would keep it buried, as this time the Dark Knight had no materials attached when it was destroyed. "It is over, 101st!" Dakar drew two cards. He had a clear target and no cards to fear anymore. Nothing could override his control of Masquerade, now that the Dark Knight had been destroyed and buried. Dakar placed one monster in defense position, and entered the battle phase. "I am sorry, Ariel." He breathed in, closed his eyes and thought back to a happier past. To the time where he could be with her without a care in the world, to her warm smile. He would soon see it again. "Direct attack." Umbral Horror Masquerade and Gravekeepers Assailant struck his sister, knocking her down and removing the last of her lifepoints.

Ariels LP: 0

**"She lied!"** The Numbers final cries came from its coffin, while every other card on Ariels field disappeared. **"There was betrayal in her heart. The Betrayal of us all! We will not..be..we will not go back!"** Its voice weakened, becoming softer and softer. **"We are..the seven..we.."** Until it was gone, the last Overhundred Number had been stopped. But it was no longer a concern of Dakar.

"Ariel!" He ran over to his sister, who had fallen down. Like Xander and Korose, almost all of her strength was lost. "Dakar.." There was only enough left to talk. "I did it. I got to help you. Your trap.. I didn't let him know what it could be. He came to me, and I told him it was harmless.." She was happy. Had the Dark Knight not listened to her and taken her advice, it would never have suicidally rammed itself in her brothers Overhundred Number. He would never have won without that. "Ari.." Dakar would have told her to save her energy, but he knew it was useless. "You did great." She knew him well, she knew his cards well. She had grown so much. "I could have done..more.. I wanted to listen.. I couldn't" She moaned. It wasn't fair. She was finally free from the voices in her head, and she could not use her freedom. Her body was not letting her move. "It's only _her_ now.. I have trust in you..and the others. You can defeat her.. and stop all the lies.." Her eyes closed. She entered her sleep peacefully.

"I will.." Dakar placed his hand on her cheek. "I swear I will."

"Is she.." Rita could not tell from a distance. "Alive? Yes." Azar could. The fire inside her was strong. It was only this world of red light that kept her unconscious. They had come far, with many battles behind them. One remained for all of them. "I know you can hear me, I know you are nearby. Pandora, Eve, Esther.. Eight. I am calling you out!" Azar raised his fist to the air. "We challenge you to a final duel! We will settle this once and for all!" It could not send anyone else after them, no mere Number could endure the radiance of the red moon. Their lifepoints would not go down from their attacks anyway. "You know it has to be done! You cannot leave us to our devices! So I ask you again, Eve! Face us!"

Silence...

"I am here." Without fanfare, without making even a single physical noise besides her own voice, the Infinite appeared before Azar. It appeared not as the catalyst Pandora, but as the A.I. Esther. "Is this what you want? You desire to end the peace I have created." She looked at each duelist before her. To Ruby... "You wish to keep your regrets." To Rita... "Your lost ones." To Dakar.. "Your struggles." To Necara. "Your misery." And finally to Azar. "Your madness."

"Hell yes we do!" Ruby answered with a closed fist. "I'm not gonna live not knowing what really happened! Didn't you listen when I said this to Xander?" The Eight should have been able to see and hear the same things as Xander had during her duel with him. "Yet there are those with Numbers who wish to keep them. You would take their blessing too?" She asked them. "You mean people like Darcy? Let them decide for themselves, let the world make this choice free from your influence. That is what you can do as a start." Azar believed that the Numbers were not the problem, The Eight was. It could choose to let it go, if it wanted to. "You all have this thought. I do not believe you do." Esther spread her arms and gathered a burst of light.

"What?!" The A.I. was suddenly holding another in her hands. Something..someone had been teleported to her. "We are all here." It was an unconscious Subito.

(To be Continued in Cipher 218: From Alfa to Omega)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Heretic  
Gravekeepers Ambusher

-  
Imperial Tomb of Necrovalley

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Tripod Fish

_-  
Fountain of Youth_


	53. Cipher 218: From Alfa to Omega

**(Cipher 52) 218: From Alfa to Omega**

"Bro!" Shin had been quiet this entire time, staring at the corpse who used to go by the name of Ion. His skin was so cold now, and grey. The entire duel against Ariel had gone passed his attention. It was not until the arrival of Esther that his senses dragged him out of his silence. There 'she' was, with his brother in her arms. "You.. did you.." The contrast between Ion and Subito was like light and day. He had to be alive, didn't he? "I brought him back. As I said I would." Esther gently placed his body down on the ground. "!" Shin was overjoyed. It was a miracle! "Wait." Shin would have ran towards him, had Necara not stepped in front of him. "Do not trust this."

"Artega.." Ruby felt her heart fill with warmth as well. At the same time though she managed to catch her wits in. "Why did you bring him here? As a bargaining chip, or as a tool against us?" As happy as this made her, she could not accept that there was no catch. Yet Esther insisted. "It isn't like that. I expect nothing in return. Subito will not fight you again, he already lost to Azar." That was why the body was unconscious in the first place. His lifepoints were down to nothing and the Infinite could undo that. "Then what about Claud? Or Ion?" Rita shouted. "Have you forgotten what you promised me?" The Eight would do 'everything' to revive Claud, yet Rita did not see It bring his body along. "I do not forget."

"You just can't do it, can you?" Dakar noticed how she was staring at Ions body. "When Ion died, you lost him too. I heard what you said, your screams reached my sister.." Her pain must have been great. Great enough to push Ariel into attacking Korose in the first place. "Whatever I felt then, I worked it out." Esther told him this and nothing more. "Is it? It feels like you are not showing your true self to us." Could the A.I. really get over that so quickly? Dakar did not think so. "You would know, Dakar. You have always been good at masking your own thoughts..in front of your friends and family." Esther smiled, unnerving Dakar. "It's more like you have no true face to begin with. You're just a collection of other faces." Dakar might have been a master at masquerading, but Esther was the ultimate embodiment of it. It could take any disguise or form it wanted. But it all started from nothing. "Eve. Because we know your true name, we do not have to fear the death of everyone connected to you, do we?"

"No, you do not. I.. prefer the name I gave myself. I prefer this body because it is how people know me. But now you know _that_ name. You have lessened my connection with six billion souls. But if you are asking me if this changes anything, the answer is No." She would not give up even if she was weaker. "You still have too much power, you just do not want to lose it." Azar accused her of simple hunger for power and control. "Azar. It is for your sake. How many times have I said this? I love you all, but all of you do not love each other... When you stop at crossroads for a red light, do you look at the other cars that pass you by or do you wallow in your own impatience? Most men and women do the latter. Even if they try to imagine what the lives of the people in the other cars are like, they cannot begin to fathom it. I can, I can see all of them and I can see all the crossroads. I am the only one who can keep them together. I am the only one who can make life fair in this unfair universe."

"But I can not make you see things my way." Esthers tone changed. The world around her changed with her. The clouds grew dark, obscuring the red light of the second moon. Rain started to fall and thunder echoed on every horizon. "I am less than I was, yet more than you can ever be on your own. I chose to avoid a fight with you, as it would pain me to see you in pain." Esther began to float in the air, taking the bodies of Ariel, Ion, Subito and Xander with her. "Ah!" They were suspended in mid-air, in prisons of energy that were emblazoned with a crest. "I will let you come to me, one by one, or all at a time. It is your choice. All of this is your choice."

Pandora's LP: 8000

"I will do it." One of them stepped forward. "Dakar.." Azar was not surprised that it was him, but he had his concerns. "I have seen how its done. How it goes." The fact was that it tactically made sense. Just like when Korose switched from Ion to Ariel, Dakar also kept the cards he had on his field (Umbral Horror Masquerade(5/3000/1500)), Gravekeepers Assailant(4/2000/2000), a set monster, Necrovalley, Guarded Treasure) when he won his duel. He had the most lifepoints after Shin as well. And Shin did not look ready at all. "Let me do this, Azar." He grabbed Azars hand. This was when Azar pulled him closer and started whispering into his ear. "If she puts her Number 8 on the field, destroy it as quickly as possible.. She can not be allowed to use a rank-spell on it." Azar did not know what Pandora had used to defeat Trey and Iscariot back then. He did not want to learn. "Thanks." Dakar moved on.

Dakars LP: 6700

"Dakar." Esther waited until he was close by, until she started the duel. "It is my turn. I draw.." A deck of fourty cards floated besides her and she telekinetically pulled six of them into her hand. "We will duel on this field, the spell of Heraldry Augmentation." The ground beneath Dakars feet began to glow and rise up into the air. "What on earth?" He was lifted several feet by a platform of rock and soil, allowing him to look his enemy head on. A crest glowed under his feet. "Heraldly Augmentation protects Psychic-type Xyz-monsters from spells and traps. You should realize what this means." All of her major Numbers were psychic-type Xyz-monsters. "I do." Meanwhile, now that Necrovalley was destroyed, his Gravekeepers Assailant(1500/1500) lost its powerboosts.

"Good. Then I shall continue. Amphisbaena takes my first monster zone." Pandora began summoning her Heraldic Beasts. By discarding a Heraldic Beast card from her hand, she could special summon the mythological gargoyle serpent(4/1700/1100) with a head on each end of its body. The discarded card Heraldic Beast Leo, which triggered that monsters effect as well. Since it was sent to the graveyard, its owner could add a new Heraldic beast from the deck to their hand. Pandora added a Heraldic Beast Aberconway to her hand with Leo's effect. "Aberconway takes the second." The batlike dragon(4/1800/900) that presented wisdom and power was added to her hand and normal summoned. "With these two, I may ask for Eale to join as the third." It was a centicorn(4/1000/1800), a mythical horned goat that could be special summoned when a duelist already controlled two Heraldic Beasts. "They want to be one, they will Xyz-summon.. Number 69: Heraldry Crest!" Eale, Amphisbaena and Aberconway were thrown into a pool of psychic energy, becoming xyz-materials. From that torrent of emotions came the demon of hatred and god of heraldry(4/2600/2000). "Tch." Already Dakars Xyz-monster had its own effect negated just by Heraldry Crest arriving on the field.

"Now, you will be part of us." The Infinite catalyst used the effect of her 69th. Heraldry Crest stabbed Umbral Horror Masquerade with a bloody claw. The 104th power and name were copied into the body of Pandora's Number. "But it doesn't steal attackpoints!" Ruby protested from down below. Dakar still had the stronger number. "There are more ways than one to die, Ruby. The field spell, Heraldry Augmentation, can exchange the beasts of Heraldry, for 'Heraldry' spells and traps." Pandora discarded another Heraldic Beast, a second Aberconway, from her hand. From her deck she took a spell card. "I activate this spell, Advanced Heraldry Art." The spell revived two Heraldic Beasts, Aberconway(4/1800/900) and Leo(4/2000/0). The Advanced spell forced them to be overlayed right away. "!?" They did not however overlay into the Number anyone expected. "What is that?" Rita cried out as Leo and Aberconway combined into a floating crystal formation(4/2200/2200) with a coated wing circling around it. "This is the third Number that came to me.. Heraldic Progenitor Plain-Coat the 18th."

"All this time, you had another.." Necara should not have been surprised. Esther had access to every Number now. However this one seemed to be personal to her. "What does it do, Pandora?" Dakar would find out either way, but he wanted to know everything. "Plain Coat chooses one monster and all others who share that monsters name will be destroyed. They may never be summoned again or return to life." Heraldic Beast Aberconway was detached from the Progenitor. "The name he chooses is ours, Dakar." Number 18 stood behind Number 69, and fired a laser straight through it. "What on earth?" The chosen monster was Heraldry Crest. Yet that cards name right now was Umbral Horror Masquerade. The only other card on the field with that name was his Chaosnumber. "Gah!" The masked illusionist was destroyed permanently. "That was one death, the other awaits your Gravekeepers." Pandora switched towards her battle phase. With a simple nod of the head, she commanded her Numbers to strike. Heraldry Crest tore through Gravekeepers Assailant while Plain Coat crushed his face-down Gravekeepers Priestess(4/1000/1500). "This is just the beginning, Dakar Serin. What will you do now?"

Dakars LP: 5600

"Only one way to find out." Dakar drew two cards through Guarded Treasure. "Not even you can see what the future holds, Pandora." He placed one trap down and ended his turn. "If that is all you raise as a defense, then we both can see what the next turn holds." Pandora entered her turn and drew her card. "2 Xyz monsters are with me, so I can activate XYZ Gift." She used a spell that detached 2 Heraldic Beasts, Aberconway and Amphisbaena, from Heraldry Crest. Then XYZ Gift drew two cards from the deck. "I use the effect of both Aberconways in my graveyard." Next, by banishing one of the two batdragons from her graveyard, Pandora could add one other dead Heraldic Beast to her hand again. "The Beast Amphisbaena returns to me, and gives itself up for Heraldry Reborn." Via the Heraldry Augmentation field spell, the retrieved Beast was traded for another Heraldry spell. "But I only see defeat in your future." Pandora closed her eyes and smiled. Her two Heraldic Numbers flew towards Dakar to attack him directly.

"Do you? I activate XYZ-Reborn! I revive a Xyz-monster and attach this card to it!" Dakar knew Plain Coat's effect prevented him from summoning the Umbral Horror that it had destroyed. However he had another Xyz-monster in his graveyard. "Evilswarm Exciton Knight!" The trap special summoned the insect-demon fencer(4/1900/0). "Since you control more cards than I do right now, Exciton Knight can destroy all other cards on the field!" The Swarm swordsman took his rapier and struck every card on the field. Heraldry Crest, Heraldic Progenitor Plaincoat, Heraldry Augmentation and Guarded Treasure were all destroyed.

"When time is on your side, you do not worry about what may come. Nevertheless, I did foresee this." Despite these losses, Pandora was still smiling. "Dakar, do not forget who I am." As the attached Heraldic Beast Leo went down along with Plain Coat, its effect allowed Pandora to add a Heraldic Beast, a second Leo, from her deck to her hand. "When Number 18 is destroyed, I can request two Heraldics to join him in the graveyard." Pandora took two cards from her deck; the Heraldic Beast Twinheaded Eagle and Unicorn, and placed them in her graveyard. "Heraldic Beast Unicorn can now use activate his effect as he lies in the graveyard. Its spirit may banish itself, to return one Psychic Xyz-monster to the field!" Removing the Unicorn led to the resurrection of a hated demon. Heraldry Crest was special summoned back in attack position. "And Twinheaded Eagle may banish its spirit to attach two Heraldic Beasts from the graveyard to a Xyz-monster that has no Xyz-materials." Removing the two-headed blue eagle was followed by the Heraldics Leo and Aberconway attaching themselves to Heraldry Crest.

"It's back? And it has materials again?" Dakar had not expected his efforts to be undone within the same turn. "Do not panic; the cards unicorn revives have their powers negated!" Azar shouted. He had seen half of these cards in use before. "That is true, Azar." But Pandora had many cards left that Azar would not be privvy to. "He is powerless... at this Rank." That was why she would use a spell card. "Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force. Change my Number into one of order." The power of Numeron Force spread across the platform, negating the effects of Dakars cards and placing Heraldry Crests higher ranked form on top of the original Xyz-monster. "Number O69: Heraldry Crest of Horror!" Before Dakar was an evolved death devil(5/4000/2800) of yellow, red and purple. "4000 attackpoints?" Even at its base, it outmatched almost all cards Dakar had in his deck. Not that he would even want to attack it. "You wanted to know the powers of what you have to overcome, so I will tell you. The Horror Crest destroys all monsters when an attack is declared." Pandora placed two trap cards down and ended her turn. "Your future has not changed."

"You..you planned all this." The Eight must have known that Dakar was about to spring a trap on her. Otherwise Numeron Force would have been activated before she declared an attack. "Can you see into my hand? Into my mind?" Dakar placed two trap cards down and switched Exciton Knight to defense mode. He did not know if this would even do any good.

"Dakar, I am your closest friend. I know you as good as you know yourself. I can not read your mind anymore, but I can read how you would duel and what cards you would use. Your expressions reveal everything." When Pandora's turn came again, Heraldic Beast Leo(4/2000/1000) was normal summoned. "The Crest of Horror has one more power to show you. Like its original form, it mimics another Xyz-monster my opponent controls. It will not just share the effect this time, but the attackpoints as well." The Crest devil fired a stream of black matter at the Noble Swarm knight, siphoning the monsters power away. That power was added to the Numeron of Horror(5900/2800). "I activate Corrupted Keys." And a trap was revealed the next instant. "This trap makes three Umbral Horror Mirage tokens, three clones of an Xyz-monster on this side. Though these tokens are not allowed to attack directly." Three black crystals(1/?/0) popped up on the field. Their glass bodies reflected the unholy light of Number O39 and transformed into exact mirror images(1/5900/0) of that card. _"Four times that much power.." _It was safe to say it was not good for Dakar, or anyone, to face a total of over 25000 attackpoints. "Dakar, we attack." One of the tokens clawed its way through Dakars Exciton Knight.

"Pandora, what about your expressions!?" Dakar yelled back at her, as he flipped his trap card: Rite of Spirit. The trap special summoned a Gravekeeper, Gravekeepers Nobleman(3/1000/1000) from his graveyard, in defense position. "My..expressions? What are you trying to say, Dakar?" Pandora inquired. Meanwhile Heraldic Beast Leo destroyed the Nobleman. "The same thing I said before. Your face belongs to Esther, to Astrid. You were not made with that appearance, you were made to be EVE. What do your expressions say, if they are not your own?" Dakar activated the effect of his destroyed Gravekeeper. Nobleman special summoned the third and final Gravekeepers Spy in his deck to his field in face-down defense position. "You might say you are only using this form for our sake, but that still means we are not allowed to see, we are not allowed to know what you really think.." The Spy summoned Dakars last Gravekeepers Nobleman(3/1000/1000) in face-up defense position.

"You _can not_ see, you would not be able to follow." A second Umbral Horror Mirage token killed the set Gravekeepers Spy. Of course since that monster(4/1200/2000) was flipped during that battle exchange, his flip effect went off "Before Esther, there was nothing to me. Now there is everything." The third Mirage token killed the last Nobleman. This time Dakar used Noblemans effect to set a Gravekeepers Guard down on his field. "I activate Forbidden Dress." But in return, Pandora simply used her face-down quickplay spell card. The Forbidden Dress targeted Heraldry Crest of Horror, rendering it(5300/2800) immune to all targeting effects for this turn at the cost of 600 attackpoints. "It is the same as you would do with your sister. You would hide your true feelings to not upset her in times of unrest. As much as I would like to, I can never be truly the same as any of you. So I hide myself, to not make you worry." 'She' then told the 69th Number to attack, and it did. Its spiked talons dug into the body of the Gravekeeper Guard(4/1000/1900) and ripped him in half. The Guards flip effect normally returned one monster on the field to a players hand. But with the Crest protected, there was no good target left. "And you can not be like me, you can not last against me.."

"The way you talk is like you consider yourself a god in comparison to me. That is not friendship, you treat us like pets" As the turn winded down, Heraldry Crests(4000/2800) attackpoints returned to normal. Its tokens stayed at full force however. To make matters worse, Heraldic Beast Leo always selfdestructed at the end of a turn in which it was normal summoned. So Pandora could add a third Heraldic Beast Leo from her deck to her hand with the effect of the second. "Then maybe, Pandora. I should show you a power like a god."

...

"This is not going to well." Ruby did not like their odds. If Dakar was having this much trouble, they would not stand a chance at all with their lifepoints. "You are right. But I have a plan, maybe." Rita said as she approached Ruby. "A plan? What kind of plan?" This sounded suspicious. Why did Rita look so guilty? "Its a plan that benefits only one of us.." She said and she suddenly activated her D-pad. "Ruby, I challenge you to a duel." Ruby's D-pad was forced to comply. "What the hell!?"

(To be Continued in Cipher 219: Greater than the Sum of its Parts)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Heraldic Beast Eale  
Number 18: Heraldic Progenitor Plain Coat  
Heraldic Beast Twinheaded Eagle

-  
Heraldry Augmentation  
XYZ Gift

-  
Corrupted Keys

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Priestess

-  
XYZ Reborn


	54. Cipher 219: Greater than the Sum

**(Cipher 53) 219: Greater than the Sum of its Parts**

Pandora's LP: 8000 Dakars LP: 5600

"You want to show me the legacy of Terminus, the divine class." Pandora had been promised a sight of the gods, and Dakar meant to honor his words.

"You have seen what Rita and Ariel have seen, havent you? But you have not seen everything... I activate Soul Charge!" Dakar placed a spell on his D-pad. "I can not enter this turns battle phase anymore. But this card also lets me special summon as many monsters from my graveyard as I can, and I lose 1000 lifepoints for each monster!" He intended to revive five cards, so he gave up 4000 lifepoints overall. "I summon my two gods, Obelisk and Osiris! And two Gravekeepers!" The blue soldier god(10/4000/4000) and Red Dragon god(10/2000/2000) appeared. Along with them came the Gravekeepers Nobleman(3/1000/1000), Descendant(4/1500/1200). "Then I activate Monster Reborn to special summon Gravekeepers Recruiter!" Dakars last monster zone was filled with a Keeper(3/1200/1500) as well. "By tributing three monsters, I can special summon the Winged Dragon of Ra! My third divine beast!" The Gravekeeper trio was sacrificed so that the golden sphere of Ra could descend to the field. It stayed in its spherical form(10/0/0), as Dakar did not use Ra's lifepoint exchange effect. "Pandora, all three divine beasts are together now. It is time.." There was an even greater power in his hand.

Dakars LP: 1600

"Yes... The Creator God of Light, Horakhty."

"!" Dakars eyes went wide with shock. "H-how?" Pandora had uttered the name of the card in his hand. "How could you know?" It was a card he had not shown to anyone except Azar, a card Azar had made with the powers Terminus had given him. "Well it does not matter!" Even if she somehow saw it coming, she could not do a thing to stop it. Horakhty could be summoned by sacrificing the three unique Divine Beasts. This summon could not be stopped. As soon as the Creator God of Light hit the field, Dakar would automatically declare victory. "Do not be mad. I do not play unfairly. I merely am aware of every card that exists. That is one Numbers power that I may copy." With such knowledge it was easy to determine which specific card Dakar wanted to use. "That is why..I can do this." Pandora flipped her trap card, Sighs of Abandonment. "Not that!" It was the same card Azar had seen, the one that stopped Trey's Jackpot 7 combo. "I pay 4000 lifepoints to 'name' your god of light. Now any card anywhere with the name The Creator God of Light, Horakhty.." The ultimate god card was burned to ashes. "..is banished."

Pandora's LP: 4000

"No..NO!" Dakar was beyond words. Even a card this powerful, that could force a victory, was destroyed by the Eight. "I know you wanted to see it, Dakar. I would have liked to see it myself. I just couldn't let it happen. Some gods should not be made real." Pandora used the other half of her trap cards effect to discard a card, Heraldic Beast Leo, from her hand and add a specific spell to her hand. "Rank-Down-Magic: All One Nothing." The spell she named, was also the same as the one from before. "Dakar! You have to stop It!" Azar cried out. If Pandora had that card in its hand, then all hell was about to break loose. "Damn it, I know! All I can do is this. I activate Winged Dragon of Ra's effect!" By paying 1000 of his lifepoints again, Dakar could change Ra into its phoenixian form. "It can destroy one monster!" The divine phoenix crashed down into Pandora's Number 039: Heraldry Crest of Horror(5/4000/2800). At the very least that monster was destroyed. Without the original Xyz-monster on the field, its Umbral Horror Mirage(1/5900/0) copies could no longer exist either. They selfdestructed. "...Turn end."

Dakars LP: 600

As if things had not gotten bad enough yet. During Dakars endphase, Obelisk the Tormentor and Osiris the Sky Dragon had to be sent back to their graves. The divine beasts could only stay on the field for one turn if they were special summoned. "A stiff breeze will knock him over now." Necara cursed the fact that Dakar had not even touched the Eight once, all the damage Esther suffered was her own doing. "You tried, Dakar. Nobody will say otherwise. Your family is proud of you, we do not want you to have come all this way, and get nothing to show for it. You should feel better than that." Pandora placed a trap card down and then normal summoned Heraldic Beast Bernards Falcon(4/1000/1600) That card was added to its hand by Heraldic Beast Leo's effect, after the Abandonment trap discarded the lion. "Heraldry Reborn. Come back Leo." The heraldic spell she then played could special summon any Heraldic Beast from her graveyard. Leo(4/2000/1000) was the chosen one. "I summon Number 8: Heraldic King: Genom Heritage!" Pandora overlayed the Falcon with the Lion, xyz-summoning her monstrous masked form(4/2400/1800). "And I will show what is next..." The body of Esther disappeared in a bright light, along with the Heraldic King. "Rank-Down-Magic: All One Nothing."

_Rank-Down-Magic: All One Nothing, Normal Spell  
__Target 1 "Heraldic" monster you control; Special summon from your extra deck, 1 "Heraldic" monster with a lower rank that that monster you control, by using it as the Xyz material.  
__(This special summon is treated as an Xyz summon. Xyz materials attached to it also become Xyz materials on the summoned monster.)  
__While this card is in the graveyard, Xyz monsters you control can activate their effects, that are activated by detaching their own Xyz Material(s), during either players turn.  
__If this card is sent to the graveyard by any effect other than its own, banish it._

"It..summoned itself?" What came out of the light was one entity(1/0/0) with three Xyz-materials floating around it. The monster and duelist were one and the same; an amalgam of all of Pandora's previous forms. Its outfit with long sleeves, waistband and bladed coat were similar to the one it wore as the catalyst Pandora. Its colors of white and gold were the same as when it had absorbed the powers of Lucifer and Kapha. Yet the face, the body; they seemed new. It now had clear masculine form, and a familiar new head. "That's..me?" Dakar was staring at his own twisted mirror image, Pandora had taken his form. "What is this, what is the meaning of this?" If not for the clothes, the black hair and white skin, everybody would have been fooled.

".." The enemy opened its eyes, the were as clear as glass and reflected the world around them. "This is me." The 'Other Dakar' started to speak. "I am One. I am Zero. I am Infinity. I am Number 108: Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora." It declared, while a thousand bolts of lightning shot down from the clouds. They destroyed every building in the surrounding ghost-town, setting it all ablaze. "Haa! What are you trying to do!?" One could hear Ruby shout from down below as the heat closed in on them. "I am ridding myself of the past, Ruby." The 108th extended a hand and created more crests of light. The symbols appeared underneath the duelists on the ground and staretd lifting them up into the air. "The build-up of so much energy in the physical world could not go without a release of that energy. This is my strength." If one were to strain their eyes, they could see transparent threads grow out of its back like hair of a spirit. The threads travelled all over the globe, across all horizons or just into the bodies of people like Ariel and Subito. "You spoke my first name, which took something from me. What was left were the original one-hundred and their hosts. My friends, they will all help me in this duel. You could say The whole world is my extra deck."

_Number 108: Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora, 1/0/0 Light/Psychic/Xyz  
__8 or more "Number" Monsters  
__Once per turn, during either players turn, you can target 1 "Number XX" monster in your extra deck (X is any number from 2 to 99);  
__This card, on the field and in your graveyard, gains the effect(s) of the targeted card, until a new "Number" monster is attached to this card by its own effect.  
__If this card has "Number 8: Heraldic King - Genom Heritage" as an Xyz Material, it also gains this effect  
_● _This Xyz monster can use its effects, that are activated by detaching their own Xyz Material(s), regardless of the costs or activation requirements._

Pandora took in a deep breath. A pulse of light shot across one of the threads and attached itself to his/her body like an Xyz-material. "Karen Winger." The mark of the 50th Number was branded on the cheek of the 'Other Dakar'. "Karen, Lunchlady Karen?" Azar shuddered, he could remember which Number she had. "Dakar!" A warning came far too late. Dakar had no power, and soon no monster. "What?" The Winged Dragon of Ra, in its destructive phoenix form, was shrunk down and pulled to Xenom-Pandora as if it were a simple candle flame. "Blackship of Corns effect. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with ATK less than or equal to this card's; send it to the Graveyard." Pandora stated the effect of the Number that had been attached just now. As Ra had zero attackpoints, it could be destroyed. "..and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent." Xenom-Pandora returned the divine fire to Dakar. "Gaaah!" He was thrown into the flames and could not escape with even a single lifepoint.

Dakars LP: 0

"Guh. Guah." Dakar dropped to the ground platform, coughing and sputtering. He landed right next to Azar. "..Azar. I gave it..everything." He couldn't move his body anymore, and soon he would not be able to speak or think at all. It was just too strong. "I know. I know Dakar. You did well. You forced It to play its trump card. Rest now." Azar took his hand and held it firmly. "I am glad.. I met you." Dakar said with his last breath, before his consciousness left him.

"I tried to warn him." Pandora spoke with her own voice once again. Once the duel had been concluded, 'she' reverted to Esthers body, though she stayed as Xenom-Pandora. Azar turned his anger on her. "He did not lose painlessly, but he also did not lose without purpose.. Pandora. I can see your limits now." The 108th was still on the field, now with four materials floating around it. As long as Heraldic King Genom Heritage was attached to Heraldic Genesis, it did not need to detach its materials to activate the powers of the Number. It would just keep on accumulating. "I finally know why the Echoes made us duel the Seven this way." Xenom-Pandora had used up one of her Numbers for good. Because of the rules of these continuous duels, Pandora would have to keep dueling. In a normal duel, Number 50's effect could be used again. Not now. "But you have 96 Numbers yet to face, Azar. Two more if I can gain back the trust of Draggluon and Ruby's Trihead Dust Dragon. You do not believe that you can run through them all. You can not believe that." With Azar at 1600 lifepoints, Pandora needed only one Number to defeat him.

"Tch." Necara would have liked to challenge It next. But she had never been included in an Echo's trial. If she tried to duel now, the cycle would be broken and Pandora would regain all her lifepoints. "You are the only one with 8000 lifepoints. You should.." She looked at Shin. Except he was not around anymore. "Shin!" She shouted as she saw him stand over Subito's crest prison. "I.. I don't know what to do." The kid did not want to leave his brothers side. He wanted to hear his voice, but he would not wake up. "If I defeat her.. he will never.."

"I will do it!" Ruby yelled. "Ruby, Rita?" Azar turned around and saw the two girls. "_What.._did you do?"

Ruby's LP: 5000 Rita's LP: 0

"I wanted it, it was my idea." Rita's body lacked any strength, she had to be held up by Ruby. Only her voice and senses were with her. "While Dakar was busy, I dueled Ruby..and she won." She laughed weakly. "W..why?" Necara did not understand. "Thanks to her, I could use what I had to raise my life a little." Ruby could only gain back this much. "To put in better terms, she sacrificed herself, to give me a better chance.." Ruby was not happy with it. But against that monster, quality was better than quantity. And it had to be her, because Rita's deck did not have lifepoint healing cards at all. ".. Then you will try next, Ruby?" Pandora asked. "Yeah, she will. I don't care if you..lose." Rita growled the last few words she had. Her loathing of this 'woman' was stronger than her physical willpower. "Without Claud, what is there at stake for me? Nothing... Ruby, let go now." Rita slid to the ground. "Wherever Claud is..maybe..I will find him this way." Her mind fell into the shadows, the same darkness that Dakar had gone to. There were only four duelists left now; three challengers.

"Ah." Pandora made the bodies of Rita and Dakar hover upwards and suspended them in the air next to Subito, Ariel, Ion and Xander. "Ruby. Let's duel." The center energy crest beneath the 108th was extended so that Ruby could step on it. "Stepping on my lines already?" The second Ruby did, Xenom-Pandora morphed her appearance into a duplicate of Ruby Irant. The original was not amused. "It seems I dont get to keep the monsters I had from my duel either." Ruby assumed she had either broken the loop by dueling Rita, or keeping monsters on the field only worked if you came right out of a previous duel. But hey, at least her deck and hand were renewed. "Let's see how you like this!" Ruby quickly tossed two cards from her hand into her graveyard. "By sending a fire monster to the graveyard with Blaster - Dragon Fuler of the Inferno, I can destroy one monster on the field!" Ruby invoked the hellfire of the dragon Blaster. It soared towards the enemy.

"Judith. I need you." As a response, Xenom-Pandora severed one of the threads, and the Number 53: Heart-eartH was attached to Heraldic Genesis. The 53rd mark appeared on her forehead. "If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead." From the overlayed cards core came red energy that absorbed the destructive powers of Blaster. Xenom-Pandora did not need to detach a material for this effect either.

"Oh thats a nice choice, using Judy's Number. Heart-earth is good against attacks too. But you are stuck as that Number now!" Ruby activated two continuous spell cards; Supply Squad and Fire Formation Tenki. "I activate Tenki to add a beastwarrior from my deck to my hand!" Ruby claimed 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit' and normal summoned that darkfire spirit warrior(3/500/200) as soon as she had it. "Spirit is a tuner that can synchro summon beastwarrior synchro monsters! He can also revive a level 3 fire monster with 200 defense points, when he is normal summoned!" Ruby used the monsters effect to revive the card she had discarded along with the Infernal Dragon Ruler. That was Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster(3/1500/100). Roosters own effect allowed Ruby to add a Fire Fist monster (Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote) to her hand when it was special summoned by a Brotherhood member. Ruby did not not need that right now however. "I synchro summon Vulcan the Divine!" By tuning Spirits three level stars with Roosters three stars, Ruby could summon a hammer-wielding fire tiger(6/2000/1600) from her extra deck. "Vulcan sends a card on both side of the field back to our hand! Heart eartH can not block that!"

"It can not, but Cains Number can." Pandora flipped a continuous trap card as Vulcan appeared. "Promises of Absolute Power." The trap targeted Heraldic Genesis, and reset its effect. Pandora attached the Number 2 to herself. "What the hell?" Ruby's Divine tiger returned Fire Formation Tenki to her hand. Yet when it tried to return Pandora's Number, it was countered. the mark of Two burned on her the fist of the Other Ruby. "Do you remember Nanogear Warshadow? If it is targeted by a card effect, it can negate that effect and destroy the card that targeted him." Pandora temporarily turned into a cloud of nanomachines, which invaded Vulcans body and sliced it up from inside out.

_Promises of Absolute Power, Continuous Trap  
__When this card is activated, place 1 'Infinity Counter' on it. Then choose one card's effect that can only be activated "once per turn".  
__While this card is face-up on the field, this trap can force the activation of the chosen effect as many times a turn, as there are 'Infinity" counters on this card  
__This card is unaffected by the effects of other cards you own. Other effects of cards you control, that can be activated more than one time each turn, can now only be activated once per turn._

_Number 2: Nanogear ShadowWar, 2/0/0 Light/Machine/Xyz  
__3 Level 2 monsters  
__When this card does battle, is targeted for an attack or an a cards effect: activate 1 of the corresponding effects:  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate all battle damage, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the negated damage.  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card cannot be destroyed, destroy one other face-up card on the field  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card is not affected by that card effect, destroy one face-down spell/trap card or face-up monster card on the field_

"Absolute Power? That sounds like absolute BS!" Ruby checked that trap over and over, just to confirm how insane it was. "If I leave that alone, you can use Numbers power up to six times in a turn!?" Understanding how Xenom-Pandora had managed to attach use two Number powers in one turn, did not make things any better. "But because you destroyed my monster, I can draw a card! My spell does that!" Supply Squad would let Ruby draw once a turn, whenever one of her monsters was destroyed. "Bah.." Ruby could not attack like this, so she ended her battle phase. "I activate the field spell, Fire Kings Island! I can destroy one monster in my hand to add a Fire King monster to it!" Ruby placed a little island with a volcano on the crest platform. Coyote of the Brotherhood was sacrificed to the volcano, so that a Fire King High Avatar Garunix could be added to her hand. Then she placed a trap card down and ended her turn. "I don't get why you can even have all 100 Numbers! There is a limit to the extra deck for a reason you know!"

"You can thank Azar for that. His role as the host of Chaos allowed him to control an infinite amount of monsters in his deck. Just like how Necara could place an infinite amount of trap cards on her field. I merely absorbed that blessing, when I defeated him the first time." The 108th, the other Ruby, explained it and drew her card. "Just because you use my voice now, does not mean I like you more. Just use your next Number why dont you?" Right now Pandora had only two choices. Ruby felt she could survive that. "You wont have to deal with it for long, Ruby. I do pity it though, for Rita to have all her hard work undone." This time the mark of 60 appeared on Pandora's arm. "Number 60: Furious Kali. I may inflict 600 damage for each monster card in your graveyard." There were four monsters in Ruby's grave. "Oh that's just perfect!" Ruby cursed as the spiri of Kali entered Xenom-Pandora. The 108th grew two more arms. Then it took out four swords and tossed all of them towards Ruby, slashing up her sides. "Gyah!"

_Number 60: Furious __Kali, 4/2400/1600 Dark/Warrior/Xyz  
__4 Level 6 Monsters__  
__Once per turn: You can detach 2 Xyz Material(s) from this card, inflict 600 damage to your opponent for each monster card in their graveyard.  
Other monsters you control __cannot attack for the rest of this turn._

Ruby's LP: 2600

"This wasn't for nothing! At least Rita's sacrifice let me live through a Number like that for now!" Furious Kali would have killed her and Azar instantly. Not so much now. "Also!" Ruby placed one monster on her field in defense position. "When I take damage, I can special summon Achacha Chanbara(3/1400/400) from my hand. He will fire 400 points of damage back at you!" The archer shot an arrow made from flames. "Uhn.." It pierced the Ruby with black hair, making her wince. "Got you!" Every small hit mattered in a duel like this, so Ruby was glad she got that damage in.

Pandora's LP: 3600

"I thought we were done." Pandora clenched her hand. The pain seemed to subside slowly. "I shouldn't have underestimated you, Ruby." Pandora smiled. ".." It was an expression Ruby would never wear, it unsettled her. "Director Boothe. This is your moment." Xenom-Pandora took this time to attach the Number 52: Diamond Crab King. Instead of two extra arms, the Heraldic one(3000/0) now had a skin made of diamonds. "Once per turn: this card's ATK becomes 3000. This change lasts until the end of this turn. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase." The diamond-skinned Pandora punched through Achacha Chanbara. It died, while Supply Squad gave Ruby one new card from her deck. "That was my turn." Xenom-Pandora switched herself(0/0) to defense mode. "Now I must return a card from my hand to my deck, or Promises of Absolute Power will be destroyed." During her endphase Pandora returned a random card to add one more Infinity Counter to the continuous trap. Number 108's effect could be used three times in a turn now.

"I look forward to seeing your next trick, Ruby."

(To be Continued in Cipher 220: UnParalleled)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**_Number 108: Heraldic Genesis - Xenom Pandora  
_Number 50: Blackship of Corn  
Number 53: Heart-eartH  
_Number 2: Nanogear Shadowwar  
__Number 60: Furious __Kali  
_Number 52: Diamond Crab King

_-  
Rank-Up-Magic: All One Nothing_

_-  
Promises of Absolute Power_

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**The Creator God of Light, Horakhty

-  
Soul Charge

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Vulcan the Divine

-  
Supply Squad  
Fire Kings Island


	55. Cipher 220: UnParalleled

**(Cipher 54) 220: UnParalleled**

Pandora's LP: 3600

(Infinity Counters: 3)

Ruby's LP: 2600

"I activate Tenki again!" With the start of her turn, Ruby used the continuous spell that she had sent back to her hand before, to add the beastwarrior Fire King Avatar Barong to her hand. It would also add 100 attackpoints to all of her beastwarriors. "I re-activate my field spell, Fire Kings Island. I can summon Fire King High Avatar Garunix from my hand!" Her volcanic island could special summon a fire winged beast, like the fiery Garuda(8/2700/1700), when she controlled no monsters. "Now that you mention it." Xenom-Pandora's response was to calmly attach the 61th Number: Volcasaur, to herself(1/0/0). "Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK." The 108th created a spike of lava and threw it towards Garunix as it came out Ruby's volcano field. "Oh no you don't!" Ruby flipped a trap card. "Destruct Potion! I destroy a monster and gain lifepoints equal to its attackpoints!" The High Avatar blew up before the lava reached it. Its flames turned blue and healed Ruby's lifepoints. "I destroyed my monster, so I can reactivate Supply Squad!" Her continuous spell supplied her with a new draw for this turn. "And because a Fire King Avatar was destroyed, I can special summon another; Fire King Avatar Barong!" A red lion-man(4/1900/200) in golden armor appeared.

Ruby's LP: 5300

"That was too close." Azar gasped out after having held his breath for a long time. "Tell me something I don't know. Now.. Fire King Avatar Garunix!" Ruby normal summoned High Garunix's younger form(3/700/1700). Then she placed a spell card down. "Hm." In turn Xenom-Pandora, using Promises of Absolute Powers infinity counters, attached a new Number to herself, replacing the 61th mark with the 72nd "Shogi Rook; destroy 1 face-up monster and 1 Set Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls." The 'Other Ruby' widened her eyes and released a precise blast of energy that tore through Fire King Avatar Barong and Ruby's set spell. "Heh. destroying my cards is not going to get you far, Pandora!" The destroyed Garunix could special summon a new Fire King Avatar from Ruby's deck; Fire King Avatar Yaksha(4/1900/200). Meanwhile her destroyed set spell card was Quick Booster. Because it had been destroyed, Ruby could add a quickplay spell from her deck to her hand. "Oh. You learned new tricks while you were gone. Good for you, Ruby." Pandora had not expected a card like that it seemed.

"Oh Stuff it! I dont need to hear that from you. Not while you're imitating me!" Ruby then activated the added quickplay spell from her hand. "Circle of the Fire Kings! I destroy one fire monster to bring back another!" Ruby's fire circle blew up the younger Garunix, and special summoned Blaster - Dragon Ruler of the Inferno(7/2800/2200) from her graveyard. Meanwhile a destroyed Barong would add a new Fire King Avatar to her hand in her next turn. "Pandora, I attack your monster!" Number 108 was in defense mode right now, so it wouldn't be able to use most of its attackboosting powers. "I know you will." There were plenty of defensive Number powers however. "Hal, help me." Xenom-Pandora's third attached Number of the turn was a very familiar one. "Utopia!?" Azar saw the mark of 39 burn on the fake Ruby's chest. "!" Pandora's hair folded out like massive wings, negating both attacks made by Blaster and Yaksha. "This is going too slow." Ruby placed a trap card down and ended her turn.

"You shouldn't be that upset, Ruby. You still have Garunix, right?" Pandora asked with a smile, as she drew her next card. "During my standby phase, your destroyed High Avatar Garunix will return to life and burn every other monster on the field." Already the ashes of the Garuda started to light up. "..You are going to negate it somehow, arent you?" Ruby was not that hopeful anymore. "Of course." In her turn Xenom-Pandora could attach a new Number to herself; Number 65: Djinn Buster. "You'll remember Ryan.." The effect of Djinn Buster negated a monsters effect on the field and inflicted 500 points of damage at the same time. "Rgh. Is that supposed to make me feel better, using one of my friends Numbers?" Garunix' revival was not 'busted', but its dectruction effect was.

Ruby's LP: 4800

"No. I only know one thing that _will_." Xenom-Pandora changed Numbers yet again. The 65th mark left her forearm and the 16th mark appeared across her left eye. "Number 16: Shock Master!?" Necara cringed. "If she uses that effect, she can block all your spells, traps or monster effects!" The girl in grey was unsure if Ruby was aware of Shock Masters capabilities, so she warned her ahead of time. "Really? Well, either way!" Ruby flipped her set trap. "Maybe this will stop you! I activate High Tide on Fire Island! When I control a highlevel fire monster, I can destroy one monster you control! Then I have to discard all cards in my hand!" But as Ruby had no cards in her hand, she could just move on to the destruction. Garunix and Blaster then combined their flames, pouring it towards Xenom-Pandora. "I wont let you use Shock Masters ability!"

"Then I wont" The 108th attached the Number 77 to herself. "What? You get to switch Numbers in the middle of a chain?" Ruby's one hope was catching Pandora while she attached Numbers to herself. So much for that. "If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card instead." Xenom-Pandora absorbed the power of Seven Sins, negating her own destruction by temporarily hiding in a cocoon of webs. "Destroy 1 card your opponent controls, then attach the card destroyed by this effect to this card as a Xyz Material." Using Seven Sins other effect, Xenom-Pandora attached Blaster the Dragon Ruler of Inferno to herself; preventing the dragon from returning to Ruby's hand with its effect. "Sorry, Ruby. I do not have that weakness either." The 108th ended her turn. Another card in her hand was returned to her deck to add a 3rd Infinity Counter to Promises of Absolute Power. Xenom-Pandora could use four Number effects in the next turn.

"You sound so damn sure of yourself, all the time." Ruby drew one card due to Supply Squad and Blasters destruction. Then during her turn she used Barongs delayed effect to add a Fire King Avatar Kirin from her deck to her hand. She normal summoned that fire beast(3/1000/200). "I think I know what your problem is, Pandora. You have all these people to watch over, yet you never asked them what they thought. You never asked for advise! That is why this world is so messed up!" Ruby activated a new spell card. "Big Cattle Drive; I can draw a card if I control a beast, a beastwarrior and a winged beast!" As she controlled one of each (Kirin, Yaksha, Garunix), she could draw three times. "Good. Now I have this, I can special summon Bonfire Colossus when I control fire monsters!" Ruby placed a giant(8/2600/2200) made from redhot magma down on the crest field in defense mode. "A special summoned Bonfire destroys 2 fire monsters I control!" The Colossus needed so much room it had to stomp down on the Avatars Garunix and Kirin. This of course served to trigger their effects. Garunix would revive itself again next turn, and Kirin could send a fire monster (Heavy Cavalry of Karmatic Flames) from Ruby's deck into the graveyard. Ruby could even drew a new card thanks to Supply Squad.

"Is that what you believe; that I am alone? Ruby, what about you? You are stuck as one body, one spirit. You can only know so little love, I pity you." Xenom-Pandora was not given much to counter or destroy this turn, but she could.. banish something. "A famous musician, who learned to master his art with this Number. His work is cherished by all now, and his adoration is felt in me as well." The 108th attached Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk to itself. "Tch." The effect of the Rhapsody warrior allowed Pandora to banish one card from Ruby's cemetery. Naturally, the High Avatar Garunix was removed and its resurrection cycle was permanently broken. "I wish you could feel what I feel." Pandora sighed. "I'll pass. I am quite happy being just one person. I want to have friends, I don't want to_ be_ them." Ruby switched Yaksha to defense mode and placed three cards in her hand down in her spell/trap zone. "I cannot use spell or trap cards during the turn I activated Big Cattle Drive. So..I end my turn."

"But it isn't my turn anymore! Take this, Prepared Explosives!" Ruby flipped her other trap card to inflict 300 points of damage for each card Pandora controlled. "I do not have to." To answer the exploding bombs, Xenom-Pandora attached the Number 14 to her body. She was surrounded by flames. "14th; Greedy Sarameya. My opponent takes any effect damage you would have taken from their card effects, instead." The blast of the explosion could not touch Ruby's opponent and had to damage her instead.

Ruby's LP: 4200

"This is what I meant, Ruby. You are alone against every Number, against all who love me." Xenom-Pandora took another Number from her extra deck and attached it to herself. "Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice." The fire's temperature inverted, covering the battlefield and the Other Ruby(18000/0) "The hell!?" Ruby's jaw could have dropped from the sight of her enemy's new attackpower. "This card gains 1000 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to it." Pandora explained. She had never had to detach one of her Xyz-materials before, so right now 18 cards were floating around her as energy spheres.. "Once per turn: I can destroy all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls." Xenom-Pandora used the power of the Frozen Lady to imprison all of Ruby's monsters in ice and shatter them like glass. Now, Ruby could use Supply Squads draw effect again. She could also use Yaksha's effect to destroy one of her own cards when it itself died, and she removed Fire Formation Tenki from her field. But that did not change the fact that Yaksha and Bonfire Colossus were no longer defending her. "You know what's gonna happen next." Pandora jumped towards Ruby to attack her with a sword of ice.

"Yeah I know! Not this!" Ruby revealed another trap. "Impenetrable Attack! I negate all damage I take in this battle phase!" The trap put up a barrier, against which the sword of Lady Justice shattered. "..." Xenom-Pandora returned to her place and ended her turn. The Absolute Promise trap added its fourth Infinity-counter. "Heh. You aren't as smart as you think you are!" Ruby quipped as she started her turn. That remark earned her a counter-attack from the 108th. "The 78th." She absorbed the powers of the Heroic Champion Caladbolg, which could banish any monster that it had killed and inflict damage equal to its attackpoints. "Banish Achacha Chanbara." The fiery archer with 1400 attackpoints was destroyed, and 1400 lifepoints were taken from Ruby. "Hmph. Guess I touched a nerve.. or fiber? Something at least."

Ruby's LP: 2800

_Number 78: Heroic Champion - Caladbolg, 4/2900/1000 Light/Warrior/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 Warrior-type Monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters.  
__Once per turn you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; banish a monster from the graveyard that was destroyed as a result of battle with this card.  
__If you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of that monster. This card can not attack defense-position monsters or attack directly._

"Did you? Could it be.." Azar wondered about that, Ruby's comment was not as light as it looked. "Could what be?" Whatever Azars new thought was, Necara wanted to hear it. "Pandora is not playing flawlessly. Perhaps.. her mind is set at a lower speed. At our speed." Calling Pandora by her true name might have weakened It more than they had assumed.

Ruby had heard them as well. "Well. Not much I can get out of it..except to play the hell out of this game! I activate Rekindling!" She used the spell that special summoned as many Fire-monsters with 200 defense points from the graveyard as she wanted. In this case she resummoned the Fire King Avatars Barong(4/1800/200) and Yaksha(4/1800/200), the Spirit tuner of the Fire Fist Brotherhood(3/500/200) and Heavy Cavalry of Karmatic Flames(4/1800/200). "Then I normal summon Coach Captain Bearman, without tributes, by lowering his attackpoints by 1400!" The hotblooded bear cyborg(8/1400/1700) took the last free monster zone on Ruby's field. "Bearman can make all my leve 4 beastwarriors double their level!" Barong(8/1900/200) and Yaksha(8/1900/200) both had their levels altered by their new Coach. "I Xyz-summon Coach King Giantrainer!" They avatars were overlayed with Bearman, forming a pole and bat-wielding fighting trainer(8/2800/2000).

"You should not have done that." Unfortunately now Xenom-Pandora(0/0) made her move. "Dantes. This is where your destiny has led you." One more thread severed, and a hundred more appeared from Pandora's fingers. They were doll strings. "Number 15? That thing?" Ruby remembered this effect well, this was Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder. Twice each turn the strings could take a special summoned monster, destroy it, and inflict damage to her equal to the victims attackpoints if it was an Xyz-monster. Ruby's lifepoints were the same as Giantrainers attackpoints! "Not on his life, or yours! I activate Safe Zone, my monster cannot be destroyed or targeted!" Luckily Ruby had her last set continuous trap. It placed Giantrainer in a a safety barrier, where Number 15's strings could not reach. "Oh. Then I will take your other monsters." The strings buried themselves in the Fire Fist Spirit and Karmatic Cavalry cards instead. They were pulled apart and dismembered.

"You know as you pointed out, I had friends." Ruby said as she went on to activate her Xyz-monsters effect. She could detach 1 material to draw a card. If that drawn card was a monster, she would inflict 800 points of damage to her opponent. This effect could be activated three times, but she could not enter the battle phase this turn. "Or at least they thought they were. They seem to have the same definition of friend as you do." The first and second card Ruby drew were monsters. "Someone you can use." Giantrainer hurled two flaming poles towards Pandora. This damage was not negated. "I do not know if I would call you a friend, Azar." She said as she looked below. "Shin, maybe. Necara, not really. But.." Ruby detached Giantrainers last material. The third card she drew was Spiritual Fire Art Kurenai. "I would hang with you guys any day, before I make a friend like you.. Pandora! _They_ are honest about what they are!" Ruby shuffled the cards in her hand and placed three of them down in the spell/trap zone. And she was about to end her turn.

Pandora's LP: 2000

"Ruby. Your plan is obvious." Unfortunately Pandora had been shown Spiritual Fire Art Kurenai, and she knew that trap could inflict effect damage by sacrificing a fire monster like the Coach Trainer. "And I can tell which card is most dangerous. My senses tell me as much." Shuffling cards around in ones hand was not enough to fool Pandora's eyes. "This was another friend of yours, Janis." The 108th attached the Number 87: Queen of the Night. "Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 Set Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls; while this card is face-up on the field, that set card cannot be activated." The Night Queens spirit made the sky go dark, and blackened the middle trap on Ruby's field. "That's the one you picked?" Ruby sounded horrified at first... and then delighted. "Well.. you picked wrong!" With the widest grin she flipped her left trap card as soon as her turn had passed. "Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai! I tribute Coach Giantrainer and inflicted 2800 points of damage!" She made her Xyz-trainer selfcombust and directed all of its firepower towards her opponent.

"No. I did not guess wrong..I ..can't have. Because." During the same standby phase, the Other Ruby activated a spell card from her hand, a quickplay spell. "Thanks to my friend, the one who gave me my name.. Lilith." Xenom-Pandora also switched out Night Queen for Number 43: Manipulator of Souls. "Huh?" Before the effect damage hit Pandora, she gained thousands and thousands of lifepoints. "I activate Overlay Blessing, giving me 500 lifepoints for each material attached to all Xyz-monsters I control." Pandora's 22 Xyz-materials blessed her by giving her 11000 lifepoints. Her total went up to 13000 before the damage from Kurenai burned it back down.

Pandora's LP: 10200

_Overlay Blessing, Quickplay Spell  
__Gain 500 lifepoints for each Xyz Material attached to all Xyz-monsters you control._

"..She is done." Necara saw Ruby's inevitable fate from the first step. The effect of Number 43 allowed the 108th to absorb the healed lifepoints as attackpoints. Not just that, Xenom-Pandora(10500/0) would inflict an equal amount of damage to Ruby's lifepoints. There was no way anyone could avoid that. "Looks like it.. But!" Nevertheless Ruby's grin did not go away. "I get to spite you one last time, Pandora!" She activated her right trap. "Compulsory Activation! I discard one card to force another set card to activate!" Ruby threw away one of the monsters in her hand, and made the Compulsion trap flip the card that the Night Queen Number had sealed. "I activate Asleep at the Switch! Because you gained lifepoints, I can destroy 1 monster you control!" A button appeared beneath her feet, which she stomped on with her foot. "Goodbye, Heraldic Genesis Pandora!"

_Compulsory Activation, Normal Trap  
__Discard 1 card: Target 1 Set card in the spell &amp; trap card zone; reveal that target, force its activation, regardless of the activation timing.  
__That card's activation and effect can not be negated. Card's your opponent controls can not be unaffected by the activated card._

A row of explosions moved across the crest floor, towards Pandora. "!?" Shock temporarily numbed her,. "Number 62!" Yet she attached one last Number to herself, seconds before Ruby's trap destroyed her. "That is.. Shins Number?" Ruby gasped. It did not seem to be the case, it was the original Number 62 before Shin had turned it into a Galaxy-Eyes monster. "Gwah!" And, sadly, she still had to take the effect damage from the Soul Manipulator, when the chain of effects resolved.

Ruby's LP: 0

_Number 62: Prime Quasar Dragon, 8/4000/3000  
__2 Level 8 LIGHT monsters  
__When this card battles an opponent's monster, it gains ATK equal to the combined Ranks of all face-up monsters currently on the field x 200, during damage calculation only.  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card once per turn; you can increase the Ranks of all face-up monsters currently on the field by 1. Any battle damage this card inflicts to your opponent is halved.  
__If this card in its owner's control was destroyed and sent to the graveyard by your opponent's card effect while it had an Xyz Material: Special summon this card from the graveyard during your 2nd standby phase after activation._

"Fwgh!" Ruby was tossed off the dueling field, hitting the lower crest symbols roughly. "Ruby!" Azar rushed to get to her. "Rgh. Don..t.. waste time.. with nice words..." She gnashed her teeth. Not since the great fire had her body felt this horrid. "Just..use the shot you have. I got rid of It, for you. So take her out.. now, before it comes back." One last grunt of anger escaped her lips, before she became too exhausted and fell into her deep sleep. "Ruby.." Azar had two turns without Heraldic Genesis on the field, thanks to her. He could never show her enough gratitude. "You are a friend. No matter what anyone else might say."

"I will make sure she hears you, Azar." The moment of silence was not one of length. Xenom-Pandora might have been destroyed, but Pandora the duelists was still in this fight. It had reverted from the darkhaired Ruby-form to the green-haired Esther-form. "So..is this your turn?" Pandora asked as It made Ruby's body float towards her collection of defeated duelists. "..." Azar stared at Necara and Shin. "..It is." He raised his D-pad. "Pandora. Duel me."

Azars LP: 1800

(To be Continued in Cipher 221: There is Only Freedom Through Me)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Number 61: Volcasaur  
Number 72: Shogi Rook  
Number 39: Utopia  
Number 65: Djinn Buster  
Number 16: Shock Master  
Number 77: Seven Sins (+)  
Number 10: Illumiknight  
Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk  
Number 14: Greedy Sarameya  
Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice  
_Number 78: Heroic Champion - Caladbolg  
_Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder  
Number 87: Queen of the Night  
Number 42: Manipulator of Souls  
_Number 62: Prime Quasar Dragon_

_-  
Overlay Blessing_

_(+ Effect still altered from OCG)_

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Fire King Avatar Barong  
Bonfire Colossus

-  
Quick Booster

-  
Destruct Potion  
High Tide on Fire Island  
Asleep at the Switch


	56. Cipher 221: Only Freedom Through Me

**(Cipher 55) 221: ****There is Only Freedom Through Me**

Pandora's LP: 10200

(Infinity Counters: 5)

Azars LP: 1800

Azar watched the world, the smouldering ruins, his silent friend Shin and his last ally Necara. And then he looked at his enemy; the One, All and Nothing. "We are not dueling here." Azar was prepared for the confrontation, his turn was now and his cards were drawn. "We are not?" Xenom-Pandora was gone, only Esther remained. Azar had two turns to deplete all Its lifepoints. "No.." Wordlessly Azar activated a ritual spell; Advanced Ritual Art. By sacrificing normal monsters in his deck, he could ritual summon a monster from his hand. "Saffira, Queen of Dragons!" Azar discarded the level 6 Wattail Dragon from his deck to start the ritual and bring out a humanoid dragon queen(6/2500/2400) with blue scales. "Direct attack!" Saffira spread her wings and flew straight towards his opponent. "Oh." It collided with Esther and dragged her away. "!" Azar covered himself in pure white energy and blasted after her. They both flew beyond the clouds, beyond Necara's line of sight. "..." For a moment, she had forgotten how much power Azar had. _"Do not hold anything back."_

Pandora's LP: 7700

As soon as the reached the upper levels of the atmosphere, Esther pushed Saffira away. The two hovered above the clouds. "I understand. You want to be free of your surroundings, to let it all out." A blow like that was just a lovetap compared to what either of them could do. "... I will set two cards in my spell/trap zone, and end my turn. Now I can use Saffira's first effect." During the endphase of a turn in which Saffira is ritual summoned, or a light monster is discarded from Azars hand/deck to the graveyard; Saffira could use one of three powers. The first one let Azar draw two cards, and then discard one card. He did so and discarded XYZ Agent from his hand. "Then, when your turn begins!" Azar flipped a continuous trap. "Hieratic Seal From the Ashes! Once during my opponents turn I can send one Hieratic dragon from my deck to the graveyard!" The Hieratic trap sent Hieratic Dragon of Nuit to his cemetery.

"Nuit, a light-type. You desire to remove the card I need for Promises of Absolute Power." Saffira's effect had now been enabled by the Hieratic Seal. The third Saffira effects could discard a card from Azars opponents hand. "You seemed to have forgotten something." Esther revealed her hand; it held two cards. "!?" Even if Azar discarded one, the enemy would still have another to return to her deck. "You added a Heraldic Beast from your deck to your hand, when Heraldic Beast leo was sent to the graveyard." Azar figured out too late that the attached Leo had gone to the grave as well, when Ruby destroyed Number 108. "Correct." Pandora ended her turn, and returned the retrieved Heraldic Beast Aberconway back to her deck to maintain Promises of Absolute Power and add an Infinity counter to it. "Ugh." Instead Azar used Saffira's first effect again. He drew two cards and discarded an Eclipse Wyvern.

"But this means your field had to be abandoned." Azar activated Cards of Consonance, discarding the dragon tuner Rider of the Storm Winds from his hand to draw two new cards. Then normal summoned another tuner; the Maiden with Eyes of Blue(1/0/0). "I activate Castle of Dragonsouls, and target the Maiden!" His second flipped continuous trap could banish a dragon (Eclipse Wyvern) from the grave and add 700 attackpoints to another monster. He chose the Maiden(700/0), because she could special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon(8/3000/2500) from the deck, whenever she was targeted by an effect. And because Eclipse Wyvern was banished, Azar could claim a highlevel dark or light dragon. A Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord had been banished when Eclipse Wyvern went to the grave, and now that card ended up in Azars hands.

"Synchro summon, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" Azar wasted no time and tuned the Maiden with Blue-Eyes to create the silver evolved form(9/2500/3000) of of the white dragon with their synchronized 8 level stars. "During my turn, Hieratic Seal from the Ashes can unbanish one dragon monster!" Azars first trap returned Eclipse Wyvern to his graveyard. "Now I have five dragons in my graveyard! I activate Dragons Mirror to fusion summon Five-Headed Dragon!" The last spell that Azar had fused Wattail, Blue-Eyes, Stormwind Rider, Eclipse and Hieratic Dragon Nuit, to create the mythical Fiveheaded Dragon(12/5000/5000). "Pandora, this is for everyone who gave his life and strength to put me here! This is for my friends and for the world!" Azar ordered Saffira, Azure-Eyes and the Fiveheaded Dragon to attack directly. Their combined power should've put an end to everything. "This can not work, Azar." Esther denied him that chance. She activated a trap from her hand. "!?" A deafening scream was emitted by that card, it was too painful for him and his monsters to bear. They had to halt their attack. "Damn!"

_Screams of Defeat, Normal Trap  
__Neither player can inflict battle damage this turn.  
__If there are three or more monsters on the field, you can activate this card from your hand._

"We have been here before. For all you have learned and gained, nothing has changed between us. You will lose, just like before." The two turns had come and gone. Soon, Number 62's effect would bring Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora to the field. "I... End turn." The fact that Cards of Consonance allowed Azar to use Saffira's draw and discard effect one last time, was a small comfort. "Yes, end turn. My turn." Lights rose up from the earth below, enveloping Pandora. "I special summon.. me." The 108th walked out of the light.

The terror was back and It had taken the form of a darkhaired and clear-eyed Azar(1/0/0). It spoke with his voice. "Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon makes all dragons immune to destruction effects. Therefor.." Xenom-Pandora already made 'his' choice. "I attach Number 7." Its effect branded the mark of Trey's Number on the Other Azars body. "Roll a six-sided die twice and this card's ATK becomes the larger number rolled × 700 until your opponent's next end phase." At the very least without Number 8 attached to Number 108, Xenom-Pandora now needed to detach materials to use a Numbers power. But even one throw was enough. "If the total roll is exactly 7; send all other cards on the field to the Graveyard." Two energy dice had been thrown. They landed on a six and a one; the perfect result. Not just for the power of the Heraldic Pandora(4200/0), but against Azar as well. "All gone." Only Promises of Absolute Power was immune to what came next, as it could not be affected by its owners card effects. Azars dragons, Azars traps; everything was sent to his graveyard. Azure-Eyes could not protect against this.

However. "When Castle of the Dragonsouls is sent to the graveyard, I can summon one banished dragon! And when Hieratic Seal from the Ashes is sent to the graveyard, I can summon a monster from my graveyard!" Before it had been destroyed, Azar reactivated the Hieratic Seal trap to send a second Nuit dragon into his cemetery. Afterwards each trap had one Hieratic Dragon of Nuit(4/1700/800) that they could special summon to the field in defense mode. "Janus, Jet." Their defense was not without flaws. In sequence, Xenom-Pandora attached the Number 11: Big Eye and Number 34: Terrorbyte to his body. Big Eye could take control of one monster at the cost of its own attack. Terrorbyte could control another monster for one turn. Both attached Numbers were detached so that Number 108 could brainwash both Hieratic Dragons of Nuit with a penetrating gaze. "Except when Nuit is targeted by an effect, I can special summon a normal dragon from my deck! With its defense and attackpoints reduced to zero!" Azar special summoned two Alexandrite Dragons(4/0/0) with both of Hieratic Nuits effects.

"That is just like you, Azar." Xenom-Pandora attached yet another two Numbers to himself in sequence. "51st and 83rd." The first, Cloverlake Swan, could detach 1 material to switch the positions of 1 monsters on Its field. The second, Galaxy Queen, made all Its monsters indestructible and gave them a piercing edge. "You refuse to accept your future." Terrorbyte's stolen Hieratic Nuit was switched to attack mode, and all monsters were coated with the light of the stars. Just one hit from them now would inflict fatal damage through Azars defenses. "Do what you must." The first Nuit targeted one Alexandrite Dragon. "I will not go down by own cards!" Azar had one last savior; Draconic Gardna. "I can summon this monster from my hand because a dragon was sent to the graveyard this turn and my lifepoints are lower than yours! It will negate all battle damage this turn!" The Gardna(4/0/1700) appeared to reduce the damage as Nuit kept on attacking and destroyed one Alexandrite Dragon.

_Number 51: Cloverlake Swan, 3/2300/1300 Wind/Winged Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 3 monsters  
__Once per turn, during either players turn: you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; switch the positions of 1 monster you control.  
__If this card attacks an opponents monster, or is attacked by it, you can switch the opponents monster to face-down defense position._

"Only battle damage." Xenom-Pandora shifted Numbers for the sixth and last time this turn; attaching Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. "Morgana. You may not be with us, but I will never forget you." That Number could effect inflict damage equal to the difference between a targeted monsters current and original attackpoints. "I activate Skill Prisoner from my graveyard!" Azar had no other option but to activate the trap card he had discarded with Saffira last turn. "It negate a monsters effects, when it targets my Alexandrite Dragon!" Skill Prisoner targeted the Dragon that Number 33 tried to influence, and sealed that Numbers(0/0) powers. "Now that is gone as well." Pandora had expected Skill Prisoner, and held back on her more powerful Numbers to not trigger it too early. "You made it, this time." 'He' ended his turn. Promises of Absolute Power demanded another card from Pandora's hand, even though it couldn't create more Infinity Counters. "But it is all the same to us."

"No. Things have changed, Pandora! You know it." As his turn started, the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit that Terrorbyte had taken control of, returned to Azars side. "You have learned what you can and cannot do, you have heard what the people think of you. This will not be like our last duel! I know you are not invincible, you cannot out-think me! I activate XYZ Change Tactics!" Azar placed two cards down in his spell/trap zone and activated a continuous spell. "Whenever I Xyz-summon a Utopia monster, I can pay 500 lifepoints to draw a card!" He explained before overlaying Draconic Gardna and Alexandrite Dragon. "Number 39: Utopia!" What he summoned was the original Number of hope, the white Utopian knight(4/2500/2000). "I draw!" Azar payed the price for XYZ Change Tactics and added a spell to his hand. That spell was Rank- Up-Magic: Numeron Force. "! I activate this card!" There was no reason to save it for later. Numeron Force could negate the effects of all other cards, including Xenom-Pandora's!

Azars LP: 1300

"All you have is hope." Xenom-Pandora recognized that look in Azars face, how could 'he' not? "Hope that lets you survive, but not live. Even now your hope is only bringing you closer to death." A thread was severed, and the Mark of the 23rd glowed on the hand of the other Azar. "Number 23: Lancelot, Ghost Knight of the Underworld. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a Spell/Trap Card or another monster effect is activated; negate the activation." Xenom-Pandora detached the Ghost Knight to negate Azars Rank-Up spell. The real Azar did not even get the chance to call out its full name.

"Hope.. is what makes us human, Pandora! Haven't you felt it yourself?" Azar switched to a new plan, he needed to bring out more of his powers. "Trade In!" Azar used a spell card to swap the level 8 Hieratic Seal in his hand for two new cards.. "Shining Draw!" The two new cards were changed, they became Shining Weapons. "I equip Sleipnir Mail to Utopia." The first, a mythical horse of the gods became a steed for Utopia himself, adding attackpower to the knight(3500/2000). The second Weapon, Fenrir Sword(4/1800/1100) was normal summoned as a monster. "When Fenrir is normal summoned, he can special summon one SW-monster that is treated as an equip card." The mythical weapon wolf let out a howl and drew Sleipnir Mail away from Utopia . It made the shield horse(4/1000/1000) appear as a monster too. "My Shining Weapons are light-type monsters, meaning.." Azar placed Fenrir on top of Sleipnir and on top of his Hieratic Dragon of Nuit. "By using three Level 4 monsters of light, I can create Number 39: Utopia Ray!" The dark knight(4/2500/2000) of hope did not always need the original Utopia to be Xyz-summoned, as Azar demonstrated here and now. And thanks to XYZ-Change Tactics, he could add a new card to his hand.

Azars LP: 800

"My lifepoints are now lower than 1000." Utopia Ray's effect unlocked itself in these conditions. "I activate Ray's power three times!" Azar detached all materials from Utopia Ray, giving it 500 attackpoints each time and reducing the attackpoints of an opponents monster by a 1000 each time. Xenom-Pandora was already powerless, so Azar used this effect on the still brainwashed Hieratic Dragon of Nuit(0/800) instead. "Hope is what makes us determined to fight against any odds! No matter how many Numbers you throw at me, I will never give up! I will always fight against you and the world you want to control!" The battle had been declared, both Utopia and Utopia Ray(4000/2000) drew their swords and spread their wings. Their attacks could potentially wipe their enemy's lifepoints out.

"Hope is a figment, a mental delusion. I can feel all that is real, Azar, and I have never felt anything like that." It would never get that far of course. "Humans take, humans lose. They have no hope, and give none to others." Xenom-Pandora first attached Number 75: Cyber ARK to himself so that he could use that Numbers effect and attach the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit on Its field to itself as a Xyz-material. "Without others, life will even drive people to death. Oblivion was their only hope." Then it attached Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon to itself. Xenom-Pandora was surrounded by a bloodred light. "!" If the attack continued now, Azar would take the battle damage instead due to the damage-reflecting power of Number 92. "Utopia!" He detached one material from the original Number 39, using its attackblocking wings to block Utopia Ray's own strike.

_Number 75: Cyber ARK, 4/0/2500 Light/Machine/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 LIGHT monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can attach 1 LIGHT monster you control to a face-up Xyz-monster on the field.  
__Whenever you would take damage, you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card; gain 500 Life Points instead._

"Then you have never felt it. How can you say you should control us, when you can not feel everything we feel? You do not know humanity." Azar was not done yet. He could not let this turn simply end. During the endphase Heart-earth Dragons other effect could banish all cards that he had played this turn. "I may have become more than human myself, but..I feel closer to them than to you!" Two utopia's had failed. It was time to go one step beyond. "My lifepoints are 3000 points lower than yours. So I can use the power of Shining Evolution!" Azars Extra deck glowed brighter than ever before. "I change Utopia into Utopia Prime!" The white warrior evolved into his sleeker and radiant form, Shining Number 39: Utopia Prime(4/2510/2000). With this summon, XYZ Change Tactics took another 500 lifepoints for the third time. "By detaching three materials, Utopia Prime can destroy and banish all special summoned monsters on your field!" To that end Azar used the effect of XYZ Agent, letting the monster attach itself from the graveyard to a living Utopia Xyz-monster.

Azars LP: 300

Now that Utopia Prime had three Xyz-materials. Azars detached them all and reduced his lifepoints to 10. For this great sacrifice, Xenom-Pandora would be destroyed. "As great as the power of your Shining Number and your Light of balance may be." Xenom-Pandora unfortunately kept Utopia Prime's blast wings away with a twist of his arm. "It is still _one_ Number." It attached Number 49: Fortune Tune to Itself. Instead of accepting destruction that Number could detach an Xyz-material. "You are_ one_ duelist. You are talking like you intend to replace me, once I am done. You would never be able to do the things I can do. And there is nothing I do not know!" Immediately the 108th Number moved to a new Number; Number 40: The Gimmick Puppet of Strings. Xenom-Pandora fired bloodred strings from her fingers, and ensnared both Utopia warriors like helpless dolls. "One String Counter for each of your monsters. When your turn ends, those monsters will die, and so will you." If either Utopia was destroyed by Number 40's effect, Azar would take 500 points of damage.

Azars LP: 10

"I am one man, but I am not alone! My Hope will not be the end of me!" Azar had a way out, hope gave him this chance. "One Day of Peace!" He played a spell that he had drawn thanks to XYZ Change Tactics. Now both players could draw a card, and no damage could be inflicted to either side until his next turn. "I set one more card down in my spell/trap zone and end my turn!" Though he would not take effect damage anymore, Azar could not save his Numbers. Both Utopia's were ripped apart by the Puppets strings.

"You, you have always been this strongwilled, ever since the day you were born." Xenom-Pandora could not really do anything to Azar in Its turn now. It opted to refresh its own hand instead. It used Number 56: Gold Rat to trade a card from the hand with the deck. It used Number 10: Illumiknight to discard a card and draw a new card. "I remember everything." The discarded card was another Heraldic Beast Aberconway. With that beast in the graveyard, it could banish the first Aberconway and reclaim a Heraldic Beast from the grave. 'He' did so, placing a Heraldic Beast Leo in 'his' hand. "Because of that, I can still love you.. no matter how much you try to to defy me." Pandora equipped Itself with a spell card, Echoes of Regret, and ended the turn. It then gave up Heraldic Beast Leo for Promises of Absolute Power.

_Echoes of Regret, Equip Spell  
__The equipped monster gains 800 ATK each time a monster is destroyed (as a result of battle, or by a card effect).  
__During your standby phase, destroy all other cards equipped to this card (This effect cannot be negated)._

"You sound like my father." Azar did not know why Pandora began to talk like this. If this was a sign of a psychological war to come, it had to be stopped now. "I activate XYZ Reborn and Emergency Provisions!" Azar flipped two of his three face-down cards during this endphase. "With XYZ Reborn I revive a Xyz-monster: Utopia! With the second I sacrifice my two trap cards to gain 1000 lifepoints for each card!" Emergency Provisions resolved first, sending XYZ Reborn and Azars set trap (Battle Break) away to return 2000 of his lifepoints. XYZ Reborn resolved second and revived Number 39: Utopia. in defense mode. But the trap could not be attached to Utopia, because it had been sent away. "You still refuse. There is no mystery left to Utopia. I know each card that exists... I will know all that exists. You cannot stop me. Nor will you."

Azars LP: 2010

"You do. You know many things, much more than I. And I would give up that much more to know what you know.. except it wouldn't change a thing to me. Pandora, you are going too far and you do not realize it." Azars turn began for real. The top card of his deck lit up once more. "I create.. and activate Double-Rank-Up-Magic: Utopia Force!" Azars spell targeted Utopia. "Utopia.. Force?" In an instant, two more Utopia's were summoned from the extra deck.

(To be Continued in Cipher 222: Exceed your Zenith)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Number 7: Lucky Straight  
Number 11: Big Eye  
Number 34: Terrorbyte  
_Number 51: Cloverlake Swan  
_Number 83: Galaxy Queen  
Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech  
Number 23: Lancelot, Ghost Knight of the Underworld  
_Number 75: Cyber Ark  
_Number 92: Heart-earth Dragon  
Number 49: Fortune Tune  
Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings  
Number 56: Gold Rat  
Number 10: Illumiknight

-  
_Echoes of Regret_

_-  
Screams of Defeat_

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Saffira, Queen of Dragons

-  
Advanced Ritual Art  
One Day of Peace  
_Double-Rank-Up-Magic: Utopia Force (+)_

-  
Hieratic Seal from the Ashes

_(+ Based on the spell used by Astral in YGO Zexal)_


	57. Cipher 222: Exceed Your Zenith

**(Cipher 56) 222: ****Exceed your Zenith**

Azars LP: 2010

Pandora's LP: 7700 (Infinity Counters: 5)

_Double-Rank-Up-Magic: Utopia Force, Normal Spell  
__Target 1 "Number 39: Utopia" you control; Xyz summon from your extra deck, 2 "Utopia" monsters that are 1 rank higher than that monster you control.  
__Then, attach 1 "Utopia" monster from your graveyard to each monster special summoned by this effect as an Xyz Material.  
__You can only apply the effect of "Double-Rank-Up-Magic: Hope Force" once per duel. If you activated this card, your opponent takes no damage for the rest of this turn._

This was the only way to combat an allknowing opponent, with something forged on the spot. "Utopia Force Xyz-summons Utopia Ray V and Utopia Ray Victory!" Both the warriors of Chaos(5/2600/2000) and Order(5/2800/2000) joined the original Utopia(4/2500/2000) on Azars field. "Hope Force will attach Utopia Prime and Utopia Ray from the graveyard to these 2 Numbers!" Ray V and Ray Victory each gained a Utopia-material, which unsealed their powers. Utopia Ray V flew through the clouds and towards Xenom-Pandora(1/0/0). "Ray V can destroy your monster!" V detached his Utopian material and took out his blade. He prepared to throw it towards the enemy. "Number 85: Crazy Box." But the enemy had already attached a new Number to itself. "Roll a six-sided die and apply the result." Pandora tossed a die, making it land on a four. "Effect four negates the effects of 1 face-up card on the field for one turn." Utopia Ray V was imprisoned in a box of energy. No effects could leave this cage. "You can't fight fate, Azar."

"Fate is what we make of it! Your Numbers powers let you alter your chances, Pandora. So do mine!" When the Utopias were summoned, Azar had payed 500 lifepoints for XYZ Change Tactics so he could draw a card. That draw had been another Shining Draw. "Hope has taught me a lot! I normal summon Shining Servers - Vanish Sage!" Vanish Sage, a holy warrior(1/500/100) in silver and red armor, was a card much like the one Hal Stone had created. When Azar absorbed Hals Number forms, he also absorbed the kids ability create the Servers. "Vanish Sage lets me draw one card each turn a Utopia monster is on my field!" That requirement Azar could certainly fulfill right now. "Shining Draw!" The top of his deck glowed yet again, as he pulled a spell card from it. "The future belongs to all of us, but the present..is what I make my own!" Azar shouted and he used the spell. This one was not entirely new. "Rank-Down-Magic: Numeron Fall!" Numeron Fall targeted the original Utopia, de-evolving it to the lowest rank. "I Xyz-summon Number 39: Utopia Roots!" The armorless Utopia(1/500/500) was placed on top of the chaosnumber. XYZ Change Tactics reacted to this summon as well.

Azars LP: 1010

Azar drew his card and put it aside for now. "A monster summoned by Numeron Fall can negate the effects of a monster it does battle with!" Azar would send Utopia Roots after Xenom-Pandora. It would be powerless as soon as he declared the attack. "Another nice idea, Azar. But that is all it is." The Other Azar smiled, as it attached the Number 42: Galaxy Tomahawk to itself. "That Number?" By detaching 2 cards from Itself, Xenom-Pandora could now place as many BattleEagle Tokens as possible on 'his' field. Three(6/2000/0) of them appeared, all looking like Azar. Yet Azar had no reason to attack these tokens. "Utopi..?" Not until Xenom-Pandora switched Numbers again. This time it attached Number 82: Heartlandraco. "While I control a face-up Spell Card, I cannot be targeted for attacks." Number 82's effect forced Azar to hit other targets. He could not attack around the 108th because of the tokens and the equipment spell that Xenom-Pandora had. "Tsk. I end my turn." The Battle-Eagle tokens destroyed themselves during the endphase anyway. There was no point in continuing the battle.

Unfortunately, even the selfdestruction of those tokens gave new power to the enemy. The equipped Echoes of Regret added 800 attackpoints each time a monster was destroyed. "The agency, the tomorrow clan. They all saw the need for Numbers. You do as well." Xenom-Pandora(3200/0) detached one material from Itself, as Number 82: Heartlandraco had another effect. "They can fulfill any desire, shape any future... This Number can attack your opponent directly, but other monsters cannot attack." Pandora jumped into the air and shot down towards Azar. "! Utopia Roots can negate the attack!" The ranked-down Utopia detached one of its materials, and attempted to intercept Pandora. "It could, but wont." In mid-flight, the 108th attached a new Number to itself; Master of Blades the 74th. "When a card targets me: I can negate and destroy that card." It detached one material, and altered Its course. Instead of flying around Utopia Roots, it slashed right through the warrior. "Then you can destroy 1 card on the field." Azar came to regret his act as Number 74's effect now also got rid of the original Number C39: Utopia V. At the very least, because of its destruction Utopia Ray V could return another dead Utopia-monster; Number C39: Utopia Ray, to the extra deck.

The now even more powerful Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora(4800/0) altered Its course. It could not attack directly anymore, but with the blessing of the Echoes spell it _could_ confront Utopia Ray Victory. _".If I can't target it..wait._ I activate Rainbow Kuriboh's effect!" Azar shouted. Of all things, it was the tiny critter of seven colors that stopped Pandora's attack. By equipping it from his hand to an attacking monster, that monster could not attack anymore. "Promises of Absolute Power lets you use your one monster effect multiple times in a turn! But other effects can only be used once!" Pandora's own trap prevented It from using Number 74's negation power more than once. "You are, of course, right." The mirror Azar chuckled, as the Rainbow Kuriboh fidgeted in his hands. "Of all who resist me, you are the only one who can still surprise me."

"Surprises. You are not fond of those, are you Pandora? I imagine you hate that about me, that I can defy you so well. That not everything is under your control." He said as Pandora placed a trap card down. "It sounds to me like you are talking about yourself, Azar." 'He' rebuffed Azars words, with rather ironic statements considering they came with Azars own distorted voice. "I do not like surprise either... but I don't hate you, Pandora." Azar insisted. "No, you do not. You do not see me as a person at all. You have been calling me 'It' in your head for all this time, I know." Pandora said coldly as It attached Number 48; Shadow Lich. Then the turn was anded and the card cost for the Absolute Power trap was paid. That Absolute card forced the use of Number 48s effect. "Once during your opponent's turn: special summon 1 Phantom Token. While I control this token, I cannot be attacked and gain 500 attackpoints." A second ghostly 108th Number(1/500/500) appeared in the shadow of the first(5300/0).

"No. It is not like that either." Azar entered his draw phase, he pulled a card and looked at it quickly. "My feelings towards you are like Subito's towards me. He could not stand my view of the world, and I do not accept yours. Of course you would know how Subito felt. I do not believe you gave him that hatred. However..you did not know how he felt in his last few moments..did you?" He heard nothing from his dark reflection this time. "I did. Subito.. wanted me to stop you. Even he rejected your world in the end. So he gave me something. Only now do I see what his message was." Azar activated a card, _his_ card. "Message in a Bottle! I special summon three monsters with different levels from my graveyard, with their effects negated and their attackpoints reduced to zero!" The spell resurrected Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon(8/0/3000), Fiveheaded Dragon(12/0/5000) and Saffira the Queen of Dragons(6/0/2400).

"Message in a Bottle?" The astonishment was clearly written on Pandora's face. Largely because of how self-harming that spell was. "I will lose 4000 lifepoints if I dont Xyz-summon this turn, yes. But I am not using these three as Xyz-materials." Azar played yet another spell. "I am using them, and Utopia Ray Victory, to enable Sacred Serpents Wake!" A trail of cosmic light shot through four of his monsters; through black, purple, blue and white borders. "When I control a Fusion, Synchro and Xyz and Ritual monster, this spell will add a monster/trap and spell card from the graveyard to my hand!" The light entered his graveyard and brought back three cards; SW Sleipnir Mail, XYZ Reborn and.. "Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force!" The spell which Azar wanted the most. "I use it on Utopia Ray Victory, while also negating all effects on the field!" The power of Numeron spread out like a wave. Xenom-Pandora managed to keep all effects untouched unfortunately. It used Absolute Power to attach Number 86: Lord of Four Treasures to itself as a third Xyz-material. "Rank up. To the sixth..rank? No such Utopia exists!"

_Number 86: Lord of Four Treasures, 4/3000/3000 Dark/Fairy/Xyz  
__3 or more Level 4 monsters (max. 5)  
__During your opponent's End Phase: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. This card gains effects based on the number of Xyz Materials attached to it.  
_● _2 or more: __The Effects of cards on the field cannot be negated.  
_● _3 or more: Cards cannot be destroyed as a result of battle.  
_● _4 or more: Neither player can special summon monsters.  
_● _5 or more: __Once per turn: You can destroy all cards on the field, except this card._

But Numeron Force itself continued. "Doesn't it? We are about to find out!" Not even Azar knew if he could force Utopia to rank 6. Though Numeron Force had always created new cards before. "..Behold!". The same happened now. "Number 39: Utopia Beyond!" Utopia(6/3000/2500) now wore armor of divine white, golden blades that floated around it, and long metallic wings like those of an angel. "This should not be possible." Xenom-Pandora protested. Its hand shivered slightly, before he made it stop. "Everything is possible." Azar payed 500 lifepoints to draw one card with XYZ-Change Tactics. "There is no limit to the power of rank-up. That is what Terminus told me. There is no end to either universe!" Azar clenched his fist. "Utopia Beyond can reduce any monsters attackpoints to zero!" The ultimate Utopic warrior pinned its golden blades down around Pandora. "!?" The 108th (0/0) lost all of its powers. "I equip Beyond with Shining Weapon Sleipnir Mail and the equip spell card, Reverse Breaker and make him attack!" Utopia Beyond(4000/2500), rode into battle on its new Shining eightlegged horse. "Reverse Breaker lets me destroy one spell or trap you control, when Utopia attacks!" At last Azar could get rid of Promises of Absolute Power by breaking that trap.

Azars LP: 510

"I am more than this, beyond the beyond." The traps destruction made Pandora waver ever so briefly. Yet there were still Numbers to counteract Azars attack. "This is not a limit, all limits are decided by me!" The mark of 54 was engraved in the enemy's chest; Lionhearts number. "!" Azar could not go back on his attack now. Lionhearts effect would make him share the damage he was about to give to Pandora. "I activate the other effect of Utopia Beyond! It can banish one Number on the field, to summon another Number from the graveyard! Then I will gain 1250 lifepoints!" Azar had no choice but to use Utopia Beyonds effect on itself. The rank 6 knight ran straight into another dimension, right as it was about to touch Xenom-Pandora. "..I summon Utopia!" The original 39th Number(4/2500/2000) came back out of the portal. "I will do this instead! When a monster is banished during the battle phase, Vanish Sage can banish itself to return that monster! Then one of your monsters with less than 3000 attackpoints will be destroyed!" The Shining sage disappeared, and returned Utopia Beyond(3000/2500) without its equipments. Nevertheless, the returned Utopia made an attack against Xenom-Pandora via Vanish Sage's effect.

"Whispers of Beauty." An attack that Pandora deflected with one open hand and one trap card.

Azars LP: 1760

_Whispers of Beauty, Continuous Trap  
Your opponents monster cards cannot be destroyed by card effects, except this one.  
__Once per turn, you can negate the destruction of a face-up card you control. Then your opponent must destroy 1 monster card they control._

"You can stop my cards." Begrudgingly Azar accepted this traps effect, and he destroyed Utopia Beyond himself. Again Pandora's Xyz-monster(800/0) gained 800 attackpoints through Echoes of Regret. "But you can not stop me, you cannot see my end." Before he ended his turn Azar chaos Xyz-summoned Utopia Ray(4/2500/2000) a second time; placing it on top of the original Utopia in defense mode and drawing a last card through XYZ Change Tactics. Then he placed two traps down and ended his turn. "Pandora. Why are you so obsessed with knowing everything? No matter how far you go into the cosmos or your own dimension, you will not be satisfied. I know how tempting power can be, but it is a journey that has no end."

Azars LP: 1260

"You call it obsession.." As Its turn started the other effect of Echoes of Regrets, one that could not be negated, rejected and destroyed the Rainbow Kuriboh that was equipped to its wielder. "When you can not understand me." Pandora tossed the critter into the graveyard. "It is not enough to be me or to accept one world and its imperfection. I can be more. The answer is out there." The 108th attached another Number, the Ravenous Tarantula of the 35th mark. Now the original attack and defense points of all monsters, including Heraldic Genesis - Xenom Pandora(6240/6240), became equal to the difference between their lifepoints. "You do not belong here, Azar. You are in the way." Pandora activated another Advanced Heraldry Art spell . That card revived two Heraldic Leo Beasts(4/6240/6240) and instantly overlayed them to xyz-summon a rank 4 monster. "!?" Azar did not think she would summon a Number normally after all of this. This Number was a flame-spewing sphere(4/6240/6240) that came from the extra deck. "Number 58: Burner Visor. I can equip this card to 1 face-up Xyz Monster I control." Pandora took Burning Visor, shrinking it down in her hands. "The equipped monster can attack directly." The 108th hurled the Visor away like a throwing ball. It passed right by Azars four monsters.

"I activate Battle Break!" Azar first countered the attack with his monster destroying trap card. "You know that will not work." As Pandora still controlled Whispers of Beauty, the monster could not be destroyed by Battle Break. Nor could Azars trap end the battle phase if it did not take down a monster. "I need it to not work!" Azar allowed the Whispers of Beauty to claim Utopia, sending the last hope warrior into his graveyard. "So I can activate The Door of Destiny!" And now he countered Pandora(7040/0)'s attack with a continuous trap card. "..That one." The Burning ball slammed into a hard surface; a large demonic castle-door(1/0/0). The face of a horned devil with sharp teeth was sculpted on the front gate. "The Door of Destiny is a trap monster, that can negate a direct attack and then summon itself!"

That was not everything. Azar revealed this as soon as Pandora ended its turn. "During the standby phase, the Door of Destiny can banish every unique Utopia monster in my graveyard! It gains 500 attackpoints for each card and inflicts the same amount of damage!" The Destiny Gate was opened, releasing the spirits of all seven Utopia's. "Utopia, Ray, Ray V, Ray Victory, Prime, Roots, Beyond!" Numbers alike, whether they were of the Chaos/Order or Shining variety; they all swirled around the enemy. "..." From all sides they fired holy energy at Xenom-Pandora, before flying back into the Destiny Door(1/3500/0). The gates closed, banishing all seven of them.

Pandora's LP: 4200

"That can not be all." The attack had hurt Pandora, certainly. But whatever pain that body felt, it had quickly turned into an afterthought in Its mind. "That look you have would not be for that card alone." Xenom-Pandora was still stronger than the Door of Destiny, but Azar was brimming with confidence. "It wasn't." Azar moved to his main phase, never taking his eyes off the only card in his hand. "This is something I have been waiting for." It was a card that could only be summoned now. "You know its name. Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth! She can only be summoned by removing a fusion monster, a synchro monster, a ritual monster.." Fiveheaded Dragon, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon and Saffira the Dragon Queen were all banished, cast down to the earth below. "And a Xyz-monster..anywhere on the field!" Azar had no Xyz-monsters, but Pandora did. "I banish Number 108!" He dragged the Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora(1600/0) down as well. "..." Pandora reverted to 'her' original and unmarked form; the AI Esther. In turn a goddess of duality, a winged goat-faced deity(11/3600/3400), was placed on the field. Every cloud in the sky turned to mist in Her presence.

"Sophia's summon and effect cannot be negated! She banishes all cards in a players hand, field and graveyard!" Sophia opened Her palms, gathering darkness and light. She combined the contrasting energies to unleash an absolute purge. Azar lost the Door of Destiny and XYZ Change Tactics, but Pandora lost all cards in her graveyard. "Direct attack!" Sophia crossed Her arms to summon a beam of heavenly light that descended from above. "!" Pandora was nearly reduced to nothing by the attack, her body desintegrated by from the waist down. "Your Number is banished, your cards are all gone. It's the end, Pandora! Give up while you can!"

Pandora's LP: 600

"This end.. is not for me." Pandora laughed. "What.. was that?" Azar passed the turn to her. A move to regret, despite the fact that there was nothing else to do anymore. "Your deck." And Pandora pointed out something he had overlooked in the heat of battle. His deck was empty. "!?

"How. I have run out of cards already?" He had only used 35 of his main deck cards this entire duel, one of which had not even existed before now. He could not have exhausted his total of 41 cards. Unless.. "Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine I switched to this Numbers effect and discarded up to 6 cards from your deck." Number 108 had done the switch before Sophia banished It, as Azars main phase started. "You.. knew Sophia was coming." Sophia was a card a lot of duelists already knew about. Pandora must've been prepared ever since Azar summoned a fusion/synchro and ritual monster back to his field. "I knew your Utopia, your hope draw, would not let you lose this duel as long as you could keep drawing cards. That is why I targeted your deck, the source of your future." Pandora only needed to end the turn to win now.

_Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine, 6/600/600 Water/Zombie/Xyz  
__2 Level 6 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If this card has no Xyz materials during your standby phase, destroy it.  
__Once per turn, you can detach all Xyz-materials from this card: discard up to 6 cards from the top of your opponents deck.  
__If this card is destroyed: instead of sending it to the graveyard, use it as an Xyz Material to special Summon from your extra deck or graveyard, 1 "Charybdis the Eternal Hunger" monster card.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)_

"There is still one after me." Azar was still defiant. "Maybe." Pandora drew a card from her deck. "Shin has shown doubt, and Necara does not seem to be included in this 'trial'. Still, it never hurts to be safe.." She tilted her head and smiled. "Right?" A spell card was activated; Pot of Nihility. "You had a card like that?" With it, Pandora could return 5 of her banished cards to her graveyard, and draw two new cards. "Of course, Utopia's Hope Draw is my power too." Pandora returned Number 108, Number 8, Number C69, Heraldic Beast Aberconway and Heraldic Beast Unicorn.

_Pot of Nihility, Normal Spell  
__You must control no cards and have no cards in your graveyard to activate this effect.  
__Target 5 banished monster cards; return all 5 to the graveyard, then draw 2 cards._

"I activate the effect of Heraldic Beast Unicorn." Pandora banished the Unicorn again, so that it could special summon a psychic-type Xyz monster with its effects negated. "Heraldry Crest of Horror." It was not the Heraldid Genesis card that she revived, but the 69th Order Number; the Crestdevil(5/4000/2800) that came out of the graveyard. "You came closer. You used everything. You even summoned your god. But you could not break your boundaries. You let your hope run out, your cards." Heraldry Crest pierced Sophia with its claw. "I told you that hope is a dead end. It was as real... as your chances of victory." The impact of that attack sent the Goddess and Its master careening back towards earth.

Azars LP: 850

"End turn.."

Azars LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher 223: Life's Darkest Hour)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Number 85: Crazy Box  
Number 42: Galaxy Tomahawk  
Number 82: Heartlandraco  
Number 74: Master of Blades  
Number 48: Shadow Lich  
_Number 86: Lord of Four Treasures (+)  
_Number 54: Lionheart  
Number 35: Ravenous Tarantula_  
_Number 58: Burner Visor  
_Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine_

_-  
Pot of Nihility_

_-  
Whispers of Beauty_

_(+ The instory original form of Number 86: Heroic Champion Rhomgoniant)_

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Zexal Servers - Vanish Sage  
Number 39: Utopia Beyond (*)  
Sophia, Goddess of Rebirth

-  
Message in a Bottle

-  
Door of Destiny

_(* In this Story, Numeron Force can special summon any Number-monster)_


	58. Cipher 223: Life's Darkest Hour

**(Cipher 57) 223: Life's Darkest Hour**

He returned to the earth like a blazing star. "What is.." Shin and Necara saw a the clouds part and a gigantic goddess fell straight through, impacting with the ground. "Gah!" The blast unleashed fierce winds that extinguished every flame in the vicinity. The ghost town that served as the cover for this scientific base was reduced to a smouldering mile-wide crater in the middle of charred black buildings. "Was that.." Shin had only thoughts of horror. Necara had only one terrible answer. "That must have been.. Azar." She momentarily stared at one card in her hand before her eyes were drawn to the sky. The victor of the duel followed Azars descent, moving gracefully to the impact site.

Azars LP: 0

"That was him." 'Esther' announced; her voice reaching them from afar. "According to your efforts.. that leaves you, Shin." The crest-platforms of energy that Shin and Necara stood on were lowered to the burned out fields of grey.

"No.." Rather than run towards this enemy, Shin rushed to the crater. "Azar!" He raced to his friends side, finding him at the center of the crater. Azars body lived, the Goddess Sophia had softened his fall. The mind unfortunately, did not make it. "No. You can't lose! You're the best, you're the strongest!" Azar could no longer see, hear or speak with anyone. He was not dead, but he could be woken up by his friend. "If you can't do it.. who can? Whoo. AH!" Right from under him, Azar was snatched away. "There is no shame in this, Shin." Pandora said as she placed Azar in the same energy prisons as the others who failed to defeat her. "You can surrender, we can all return to the life we deserve. Subito will be back, our family will be whole and nobody will remember the pain." Her words had never sounded sweeter. "I.." Shin was used to being told what to do. All this time, and he still could not reach a decision. Now there was nobody else to listen to..

Except there was.. Someone to challenge Pandora. "If he does not do it, I will!" Necara shouted. "Oh?" Pandora allowed the girl to walk up to her. "You are welcome to try. But, Necara, you did not make it into this 'trial'" Pandora had heard Azar name Shin as his successor, not her. "If you duel me, it will be by the normal rules." The trial loop would be broken, Pandora would regain all Numbers from the graveyard and all lifepoints It had lost. "I am not dueling _alone_." Necara moved towards Shin, and crouched down. "I am dueling with him, with his deck." She waited for Shin to say anything. "You can do this much... Shin." He was not in the right state of mind to fight right now, that was clear. Yet he seemed to accept her as a stand-in. Silently he handed her his D-pad.

Pandora's LP: 300

Necara's LP: 8000

"Is this alright?" Pandora did not see Its lifepoints go back up. It seemed this red moon world took no issue. "The Echoes, the masters of the red world, said the core of the deck was what matters. This deck was the thing that defeated the trial, so this is what I.. we will use!" Necara shuffled her cards, walked up to Pandora and drew her six cards. "Duel!" Necara placed one monster face-down. "I also use this card." She activated the Spellbook of Secrets, to add any Spellbook card from her deck to her hand. Necara took and activated the field spell, Grand Spellbook Tower "Turn end." The magical and futuristic tower did little to lighten up the atmosphere.

"You are taking a big risk, Necara. This deck and this style are unfamiliar to you. Regardless of what you say, you duel alone." Pandora took her turn. Number O40: Heraldry Crest of Horror(5/4000/2800) impaled the ground before Necara with its long claw, destroying her face-down monster; Stoic of Prophecy(1/300/200). "Not unfamiliar. I have seen Shins duels in the past." Necara used the effect that triggered upon Stoic's destruction, to add a level 3 or lower Prophecy-monster (Hermit of Prophecy) from the deck to her hand. "I don't doubt you ability to adapt, Necara." Pandora placed a trap card down and before finishing this turn. "I doubt the effectiveness of this deck, as I would any other. You are setting yourself up for a great fall."

"A deck is a deck." Necara drew her next card. "The duelist is the key." Because a spellcaster was in her graveyard, Grand Spellbook Tower could draw one card from her deck by returning a used up spellbook (Secrets) to her deck. "I use this now." Necara activated Spellbook Library of the Crescent; a spell that revealed three Spellbooks (Spellbook of the Wisdom/Secrets/Fate) in her deck when none were in the graveyard yet. Pandora could choose which one was added to Necara's hand. ".." The A.I. pointed at the left card, Wisdom. The remaining Spellbooks were shuffled back into the deck. "Now I play this card." Necara normal summoned the elderly Hermit of Prophecy(3/1200/700). "And I activate more spells!" She activated a second Spellbook of Secrets. "I add Spellbook of the Master. I will use The Master to reuse Secrets!" The Masters book could copy the effect of any Spellbook in the graveyard, if she had another Spellbook card in her hand. Which she did. The recycled Spellbook of Secrets' effect placed a Spellbook of Eternity in Necara's hands. Meanwhile the Hermit of Prophecy had gained favors from his own effect. Each time a spellbook was played, his(7/1800/700) level and attackpoints shot up by 2 stars and 300 points.

"So this is becoming a game of divination. Yet these Arcana cards say more about you then me." Esther found it seemingly amusing that Necara would use a card like The Hermit. "Be quiet. I use this monster now." Necara had to reveal three Spellbooks in her hand (Spellbook of the Eternity, Spellbook of Power, Spellbook of Wisdom). Doing so allowed her to special summon a monster; the High Priestess of Prophecy(7/2500/2100). "And I use this cards effect to destroy Order Number 69!" The High Priestess could banish a spellbook from the graveyard to destroy any card. In this case it were the pages of the Secret book that fueled the spell that destroyed Heraldry Crest of Horror. Pandora was defenseless. Nevertheless Necara did not feel secure. "I.. Xyz-summon." The Hermit was now the Priestess' equal in level stars, so the two arcana mages could be combined into the Hierophant of Prophecy(7/2800/2600). "I detach one material from this Xyz-monster!" The Hierophant could destroy as many spells as there were spellbooks in the grave. Pandora's last card would be layed to waste!

_"She might actually do this?"_ Shin looked up. A bit of hope entered his spirits, he had to see this duel from up close. Yet he only came in time to see Pandora's counterattack. "Do you believe, Necara? Do you believe in victory? It is still so far from you.. I activate Xyz-Reborn!" Pandora's trap was flipped, and it special summoned another Xyz-monster from the graveyard. "NO!" Shin stopped running as the image of his fears returned. Number 108: Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora(1/0/0) was reborn, Pandora transformed from the body of Esther to a blackhaired version of Necara. All the Hierophant had done was prevent Xyz-Reborn from attaching itself to the monster it revived. "Grr!" Necara went against all impulses in her body, and entered the battle phase. "Attack!" The Prophetic spellcaster waved its scepter around to release a series of magical blasts. "The first one I believed in.. was Him. Though he never believed in me." Of course Number 108 used Its effect, and attached a Number to Itself. "Power of the Ninth." It was Prometheus' Dyson Sphere. "I can negate any attack, if I am with Xyz-materials." The magical blasts dispersed as if they had hit an invisible wall, making the ground rumble and filling the air with noise.

"It_ is_ hopeless.." Shin whimpered in the background. All Azar had done, accomplished nothing. Necara stayed quiet. "That is what I tried to tell Azar. You will find nothing but shattered hopes, when you duel me. But it is almost over now. I will make all those feelings go away." Pandora did something strange then, she detached one material from herself, to use Dyson Sphere's direct attack ability for this turns battle phase. Yet she had no intention of attacking directly, not when she had no attackpoints. "I may now use the power of Twinheaded Eagle." Xenom-Pandora simply needed to hold no more Xyz-materials to use the effect of a Heraldic Beast in her graveyard. "If I without Xyz Materials, I may attach two monsters to myself as as Xyz Materials." The effect of the Twinheaded Eagle reattached Heraldic King Genom Heritage and Dyson Sphere to the 108th.

Xenom-Pandora's then switched to an actual new Numbers right at the beginning. It was the Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo. "!" Necara had more reason to fear that Number, than any other. "If I controls no spells or traps, I can detach 1 material to create a Destiny Counter. With 3 counters, I automatically win." Because Number 8 was attached to Number 108 again, Pandora could use any Numbers effect despite the requirement of not controlling spells and the need for detaching Xyz-materials. "This is how it will end." Pandora played a continuous spell, Numeron Division. "This Numeron spell 'divides' a Numbers effect." Xenom-Pandora activated the effect of Number 88, and the Numeron Division activated it again. Two Destiny Counters were placed on the Xyz-monster instead of one. The energy of the counters resonated with the lands, breaking stone that just stood near Pandora.

_Numeron Division, Continuous Spell  
__Once per turn, during eithe players turn, you can activate one of the following effects;  
__* When you would activate a 'Number'-monsters effect, you can activate that effect again.  
__* When you would activate the effect of a card that attaches 1 or more cards to an 'Number'-monster you control as an Xyz-material, attach 2 cards instead._

"You can't use that Numbers effect in my turn!" Necara tried to cling to that fact, as it would buy her one more turn. "No, I would need my Rank-Up-Spell for that." Xenom-Pandora only allowed that thought to persist while it was her turn. She placed two trap cards down. "Or the power of the First." One of the traps was flipped after she ended her turn and Necara drew her card. "Law of the First. During your main phase, one monster I have may shall use its power again." Number 108 could create its third Destiny Counter as soon as the standby phase ended.

_Law of the First, Continuous Trap  
__Once per turn, during your opponents main phase, target 1 monster you control; that monster can activate each of its effects during this turn._

"No..it's over!" Shin cried out. "No, not in this phase!" Necara would keep fighting if she could, quickplay spells could be played from her hand in the standby phase. "Magical Dimension will destroy it!" She activated the spell she had drawn this turn. Magical Dimension sacrificed a spellcaster on her field, Hierophant of Prophecy, to a magicians coffin. A new spellcaster, Charioteer of Prophecy(4/1800/1300) was special summoned from her hand in defense mode. Afterwards Magical Dimension could destroy one other monster. "Number Wall" Sadly, Pandora flipped her second continuous trap. The Wall made all Numbers impervious to all destruction effects and to all attacks that did not come from other Numbers. "Rahh!" The Charioteers destructive spell fizzled out. "This is not a battle you can win, Necara."

"Not true!" Necara could still draw another card. She used Grand Spellbook Tower to return Spellbook of the Master to her deck to draw a new card. _"This one." _Necara activated the Spellbook of Wisdom first. That quickplay spell targeted the Charioteer and made it immune to all trap cards this turn. "Now that there are two Spellbooks in the grave! I can activate this one!" She played the drawn quickplay-spell; Spellbook of Fate. That book banished the books of Crescent and Wisdom in the graveyard to energize its third effect. Fate could switch any monster to face-down defense position. That would hinder Pandora's movements for a while "Disappear!" The Spellbook grew in size and closed up around Necara's opponent, seemingly crushing her. "..." Necara waited. _"Not the end."_

"Number 99: Utopic Dragon and Number 98: Dystopic Dragon." The mirror Necara's voice broke through, and the book exploded into a thousand burning pages. This time Numeron Division had placed two Numbers on top of Number 108. "During either player's turn, when a spell effect is activated that targets this face-up card: I can negate the activation and destroy that card." Among the things Xenom-Pandora could do now with the attached Number 99 and Number 98, was negate the effect of Spellbook of Fate. "Dystopic..Utopic." Numeron Division actually made it possible for Xenom-Pandora to attach 2 Numbers at once. Both Numbers' effects could be used and complemented each other perfectly. The only blessing was that Necara had averted certain defeat by forcing Pandora to switch out of Number 88. But as soon as the main phase began, Law of the First targeted the 108th. "Once per turn: I can special summon 1 "Number" monster from my graveyard in defense position, with its effects negated." Utopic Dragons effect was used to again revive Number O69: Heraldry Crest of Horror. "Number 98 will treat that monster as a Non-Number, but unlock its powers at the same time."

_Number 98: Dystopic Dragon, 9/3600/1800 Dark/Dragon/Xyz  
__3 Level 9 monsters  
__While this card is face-up on the field, "Number" monsters summoned from the graveyard do not have their effect(s) negated, but they are not treated as "Number" monsters.  
__During either player's turn, when a spell or trap card effect is activated that targets this face-up card: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that card._

"You will not..intimidate me." Necara normal summoned Justice of Prophecy(3/1600/800) and activated more spellbooks. The Spellbook of Eternity added the banished Spellbook of Secrets back to her hand. That Spellbook of Secrets placed the returned Spellbook of the Master from her deck in her hand. The Spellbook of the Master copied the effect of Spellbook of Secrets in the graveyard and searched Necara's deck for the Spellbook of Life. "I activate this card to revive one monster!" The book of life had to reveal another Spellbook (Spellbook of Power) in Necara's hand and banish a spellcaster (Hermit of Prophecy) from the graveyard. In return, Life could special summon the High Priestess of Prophecy(10/2500/2400) from Necara's graveyard in defense position, giving it the level stars of the banished monster. "Destroy it!" The Priestess could at least destroy the revived Heraldry Crest, by banishing Spellbook of Secrets a second time. The great horror demon was killed by the same Arcana.

"I will not give up, I can not!" Necara placed a trap card down and activated the effects of her remaining mages. Charioteer of Prophecy let a player switch a spellbook in their hand with a Prophecy monster in the graveyard. Necara discarded Spellbook of Power to take back Stoic of Prophecy. Afterwards Justice of Prophecy could use her powers, as a Spellbook had been activated this turn. She banished herself to put a level 5 or higher spellcaster and a Spellbook in Necara's hand during her endphase. Necara took Spellbook of Judgment and Prophecy Destroyer from the deck. "This turn is over."

"You will not give up? Why?" The mirror Necara asked, changing her tone to match that of the real Necara more and more. "Because it is the right thing to do? You do not believe in that. So why?" It was unsettling for Necara to realize what she sounded like. So much that she did not want to talk to her. "You are affraid, that is why." Pandora concluded. She reactivated the effect of Number 99 to special once again special summon the 69th Order Number of Horror. "I am not! I do not know fear!" Necara responded with a trap card; Dark Renewal. It sacrificed one of her spellcasters and the monster that was just summoned, to call a highlevel dark spellcaster from the deck. "You do not know me! You have never been in my mind!" Heraldry Crest and High Priestess of Prophecy fell into a coffin, and out in attack position came the Reaper of Prophecy(6/2000/1600). When a player had four Spellbooks in her graveyard, like Necara now did, the Reaper(2600/1600) would gain 600 attackpoints. The reaper would also add a new Spellbook, a second book of Secrets, to Necara's hand.

"..To choose that Arcana." The fake Necara smirked. "I may not have been part of you, but I have been with you for as long as we can remember, Necara. I was your quartermaster, I was your 'sister'. I succeeded where you failed. You are the human who could not feel. I am the nonhuman who learned to feel it all." Pandora switched to two new Numbers: 64th the Ronin Raccoon Sandayu and 27th the The Doppelganger. The Ronins effect created a beast-type token with attackpoints that were equal to the strongest monster on the field. Thath was the Reaper in this case, so a second more feral Xenom-Pandora(1/2600/0) now stood in the crater. The Doppelganger allowed the real 108th Number(2600/0) to copy the attackpoints of the token. "If you cannot join with me, your mind will be forever lost upon your body's death.." The token Pandora suicided itself into Reaper of Prophecy, while the Xyz-Pandora grabbed the Charioteer by the head and crushed the warriors skull with her bare hands. "That is the curse of The End. That is what you fear."

_Number 27: Doppelganger, 1/?/0 Dark/Zombie  
__3 Level 1 Monsters  
__Once during the game, this card can target 1 Monster on your side of the field; this card's ATK becomes that monster's ATK.  
__Once per turn, when the targeted card would be destroyed or banished, detach 1 Xyz material from this card instead._

"You're lying!" Necara shouted and violently drew her next two cards, the second after Spellbook Grand Tower returned Spellbook of Life to her deck. "I was.. He.. I am not a failure!" She normal summoned one of Shins Gagaga monsters, the cleric Gagaga Priestess(4/1000/2000). Then she used the effect of Gagaga Child to special summon the kid(2/800/1200) from her hand, and to let that card copy the level stars of the other Gagaga monster on the field. Though she could not attack during this turn now that this effect was used. "I Xyz-summon this card!" Gagaga Priestess and Gagaga Child(4/800/1200) were placed on top of each other, and Gagaga Cowboy was placed on top of them. "I summon it in defense mode, so I can inflict damage!" The defending cowboy(4/1500/2400) could detach 1 material to fire of 800 points of damage. "I hate you, I hate the one who made you..who made me! I wasn't meant to be like this!" One bullet was fired, and it nearly hit Pandora.

_Gagaga Priestess, 4/1000/2000 Dark/Spellcaster  
__Once per game, when a Gagaga-monster you control is destroyed as a result of battle, you can special summon this card from your graveyard in face-up attack position.  
__If this card is removed from the field, you take no damage for the rest of the turn._

"Hate only leads to more hate, I find. It is a useless emotion." But Xenom-Pandora simply attached a new Number, Shamoji Soldier the 63rd. Using that Numbers and Overlay Divisions effect, she could give both herself and the real Necara 1000 lifepoints twice. 800 points of damage were not so fatal now. "You may be human, Necara. But you do not understand them like I do. That is why you will lose.. In a way you have already lost."

Pandora's LP: 1500 Necara's LP: 10000

"Wh-what does that mean?" Shin stammered.

"It means that while you have been playing here, my Probe has been launched." Pandora revealed. "Already?" The Probe that they had destroyed was now rebuilt and sent into space, that was what she was saying. "Why would we.. accept what you are saying?" It was a reaility Necera did not want to entertain. "I never lie, Necara. You can see for yourself." Pandora manipulated the D-pads around her, taking them from every duelist that had been defeated so far. Their projectors were combined to display one large three-dimensional screen. "There it is.." The screen broadcasted the ascent of the Probe as it was shot into space on a rocket. "There is our future.."

...

_"Where?" This darkness.. he had experienced a world like this before. "Who." He was Azar, Azar Helder. He remembered it now, he had to. "What..how?" He had lost a duel, a fight with Pandora. His consciousness was thrown into the depths of the mind. He was powerless. There was no way out. "With.." Was he alone? He could not be, this was where every mind crossed Pandora's path. "Hello?" There had to be someone, anyone at all._

"..Hello." _Only one voice responded, one face revealed himself. "!" Not the voice of a friend.. not the features of one. "Kapha.." It was He, the creator of Pandora, who stepped out of the shadows._

(To be Continued in Cipher 224: The Cards We're Dealt)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Number 9: Dyson Sphere  
Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo  
Number 99: Utopic Dragon  
_Number 98: Dystopic Dragon  
_Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu  
_Number 27: Doppelganger  
_Number 63: Shamoji Soldier

_-  
Numeron Division_

-  
XYZ Reborn  
Number Wall  
_Law of the First_

_(+ The instory original form of Number 86: Heroic Champion Rhomgoniant)_

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Stoic of Prophecy  
High Priestess of Prophecy  
Hermit of Prophecy  
Hierophant of Prophecy  
Charioteer of Prophecy  
Justice of Prophecy  
Reaper of Prophecy  
_Gagaga Priestess_  
Gagaga Child  
Gagaga Cowboy

-  
Spellbook of Secrets  
Spellbook of the Master  
Grand Spellbook Tower  
Spellbook Library of the Crescent  
Spellbook of Power  
Magical Dimension  
Spellbook of Fate  
Spellbook of Eternity  
Spellbook of Life

-  
Dark Renewal


	59. Cipher 224: The Cards We're Dealt

**(Cipher 58) 224: The Cards We're Dealt**

"Kapha. You..are here.." Of course he was. This man had not died. Before Azar stood a man who had fused his body with the first Number and with the Eight. "You have been here all along."

"Very observant. You are absolutely right of course. This is my new home, far removed from the confinements of flesh." Kapha spread his arms as if to bask in the light of a sun that Azar could not see. "Are you enjoying it? You must be used to your subconscious form, considering how defined you are. None of the others could stay awake in here.." Those words made Azar realize one thing, this was indeed the same mental realm that Pandora had shown him before. Only now she was elsewhere. "So you have been helping Pandora from here? Or has It grown beyond your control?" Azar could not tell what his relation was with the Infinite now. He had been responsible for everything, yet he had not made his presence known since the fall of Lucifer. "Both theories are on point, but incomplete. I could control Eve but not Pandora. Yet Pandora never defied me. Even now, as she has become far more powerful and intelligent than I could ever hope to be, she has allowed me my design. Like her, I prefer to do my work from the shadows.. mister Helder." Kapha flashed a quick grin at Azar. "And my work on earth is far from complete."

"This is not over yet, Kapha. Pandora still has one more challenger to face." Azar could not see the outside world from here, but he was certain Shin would stand against Pandora. "She does. But not in the way you think. And let us be honest, as one realist to another.. The only one who even stood a chance against her, is now standing here before me as a prisoner. Shin, Necara.. two polar opposites. Cynicism and Idealism have no future in reality." Kapha raised a finger. "But you do not need to be a prisoner. I can use you, mr. Helder. A sharp mind like yours should not be wasted. Look at what you have done fighting against us. Think of what we can do together!" He extended a hand. Azar brushed it aside. "I decline." Was his simple but direct answer. "I would not be so quick to throw it all away, mr. Helder. You of all people should realize the futility of resistance. It is already too late."

"You..you are talking about the Probe!" Azar flinched. "Correct again." The man of science chuckled. "Just one of the many things that I have been able to create, tapping into a fragment of all of the worlds greatest minds. You'd be amazed how fast people can build something when they are not distracted by trivial emotions and desires. All knowledge in the world is within my grasp here, and soon the rest of the universe will follow. Pandora may be the caretaker of the people's pains and joys, but I am the shepherd of the scientific method. I tell which inventor and which designer to make what, when and where. All these cures to diseases and advances in technology; where do you think they come from?" Kapha turned around and gestured at Azar to follow him. "Where are you going?" Azar could not even tell where the path was. If there was one at all. "To show you.. Come with me, Mr Helder. Come and see what this world gained because of us. What you too can do for the world."

...

Pandora's LP: 1500 Necara's LP: 10000

The D-pads screens broadcasted the ascent of the Probe as it was shot into space on a rocket. "How.." Shin had heard a new Probe was being made, but to have it done and launched in a day.. was beyond nightmares. "I am not the only mind who tells the people what to do, Shin." It was Pandora';s turn now. Necara had set a spell and ended her turn. Xenom-Pandora(1/0/0) attached two new Numbers were attached to 'herself'. They were Charybdis the 4th and Landmine Ogre the 59th

_Number 4: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger, 4/1900/1500 Water/Zombie/Xyz  
__2 or more Level 4 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz-material from this card: destroy 1 card on either side of the field.  
__If this card is destroyed: instead of sending it to the graveyard, use it as an Xyz Material to special Summon from your extra deck or graveyard, 1 "Scylla __the Endless Famine__" monster card. __(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)_

_Number 59: LandMine Ogre, 4/600/2500 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__3 Level 4 Monsters  
__Set cards can not be activated or flipped face-up. This card gains 600 ATK for each set spell or trap card on the field and for each attached Xyz material.  
__During either players turn: you can pay 600 lifepoints, target 1 set spell or trap card on the field, reveal it and activate its effect. This card cannot attack directly._

Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora held ten materials, and Necara had one card set on her field. That meant that Pandora(6600/0) gained eleven powerboosts from the Ogre's effect. "I destroy the monsters on both our fields." The effect of Charybdis, Iscariots Number, was activated to kill both the Pandora-token(1/2600/0) and Necara's defending Gagaga Cowboy(4/1500/2400). The attached Gagaga Priestess would only respond to battle destruction, not effect destruction. The Cowboy and the token were blown away with the flick of a finger as Pandora slowly walked towards Necara. "!" The girl in grey shivered as the girl in black stood right in front of her and raised her hand. "Necara, you cannot win. All you can do is receive pain.." Xenom-Pandora released a blast of high pressure energy from her hand. "Haaah!" The direct attack threw Necara to the center of the crater by the force, far from Shin as well. "Necara!"

Necara's LP: 3400

Afterwards, while Necara pushed herself back up, Pandora activated a familiar field spell; Heraldry Augmentation. "No..not another." Shin moaned. The Heraldry field spell would protect any psychic Xyz-monster, including Xenom-Pandora, from targeting spell and trap cards. "Ggh. Damn..you." Necara's own field spell, Grand Spellbook Tower, was now destroyed. "That was nothing." Necara spat. At the very least Grand Spellbook Tower could special summon a spellcaster from the deck when it was destroyed. That spellcasters level could not be greater than the number of Spellbooks in the graveyard, but as as there were five of them (Eternity, Tower, Power, Fate) right now, Necara could special summon Strength of Prophecy from the deck. The female axe knight(4/1500/1400) of red magic appeared in attack-mode. "It is still..my turn!"

Necara activated the effect of Strength of Prophecy. She returned one Spellbook in the graveyard (Spellbook of Fate) to the main deck to bolster any spellcaster, like herself(5/2000/1400). "I activate..Secrets!" Necara used her other Spellbook of Secrets next, adding a Spellbook from her deck to her hand again. Spellbook of Life was chosen. "I activate this card too!" Necara tried to use that Spellbook of Life to resurrect the High Priestess of Prophecy again. With that card she could at least destroy the Augmentation field spell. "Strength is what you do have in great abundance. Kapha saw to that." But Xenom-Pandora had a Number for every occasion. The 108th left the powers of Charybdis and Landmine Ogre, and absorbed the powers of a Number 37: Titanic Galaxy and Number 23: Slothful Orochi. "No.. No!" Titanic Galaxy could negate a spells effect by attaching that spell to itself as a material. Spellbook of Life was negated and absorbed. This effect could only be used once per turn however. Slothful Orochi meanwhile shut down any and all attacks. "NO!" Necara had no options but to activate a second spell, Gagagadraw. By banishing the three Gagaga monsters in her graveyard, she could draw two new cards. "Nobody says what I can do, what I should be!" She placed a spell and a monster down, before her turn had to end.

_Number 24: Slothful Echidna, 2/600/600 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__2 Level 2 Monsters__  
__Monster cards cannot declare an attack, while this card has XYZ-material.  
Once per turn, during either players turn, detach 1 XYZ-material from this card; both players can only summon monsters with 1500 ATK or less._

"Necara. I don't want you to be just what Kapha made you. You can be whatever you want.. I can give you anything you need, you wont feel anything this time. But you have to stop resisting." Xenom-Pandora began to hover towards Necara, all the way down to the bottom of the crater. She detached the Spellbook of Life to activate Number23's other effect, so now Necara could not summon any of her stronger monsters. "Look at me.." In this turn, through Numeron Division, Number 108 attached Number 96: Dark Mist and Number 68... "!...Dystopia." The Knight of despair, one of the Numbers she used the most when she was still an agent. "You are alone, you fight for nothing, you stand for nothing." Xenom-Pandora moved to to use the power of Dark Mist as she attacked. Darkness emerged from the shadow of Necara's mirror opponent, extending like a path that overshadowed Necara. Strength of Prophecy lost half of her(1000/1400)'s attackpoints to the fog and to Xenom-Pandora(1000/1000). "Strength without purpose, is meaningless." The 108th destroyed the Strength mage with the shadows. The 108th did not die, because Number Wall made it so that only Numbers could kill Numbers in battle. Pandora traveled further down the mist.

"Still!?" Shin gasped. He was aware of Dystopia's effect to detach materials to gain a second attack. It was worse now.._ "Because she does not need to detach materials to use effects, 'Number 68' can keep attacking as many times as she wants?!" _Already the Dytopians effect was used to drag Necara's set monster into the black fog. "Purpose..." Necara muttered as the set Apprentice Magician(2/400/800) died. Because it was destroyed in battle, it could set another lowlevel spellcaster on Necara's field. "..My purpose is.." Necara placed a second Apprentice Magician face-down. "It won't do you any good, Necara." Xenom-Pandora simply used Number 68's power to declare a third attack. "Nor will this." As the second Apprentice(2/400/800) died, a third was placed down. Xenom-Pandora just continued moving closer, while the dark mist consumed the third Apprentice. "I..I.." Necara did not know what to do anymore, inside and outside the duel there seemed to be no stopping Pandora. "You have two choices, Necara. Me or oblivion."

"She doesn't need to be with you!"

"Sh..shin?" Necara turned around and looked on with disbelief as Shin made his way to her. "Oof, gah!" He stumbled the last few inches on the crater slope, but he made it in one piece. "Do not give up, not now! You can still win!" He shouted, with all his strength. "Shin? Why..Why..are you helping me.." Necara was not sure if she was looking at the same kid. Misery had left his face. "Because, I should not have let you do this alone to begin with. These are my cards.. our cards. Use Magical Undertaker! Summon that one!" He told her. "O..oh." Necara activated the effect of the third Apprentice Magician, special summoning the Undertaker mage from their deck in face-down defense position. "What are you doing, Shin? How will this change anything?" Xenom-Pandora merely had to make a fifth attack to finish that set Magician(2/400/400) of. "Wait for it." Shin got up. "Summon Apprentice Magician again! And then use your face-down spell!" The Undertaker could summon any level 4 or lower spellcaster from the graveyard, including the Apprentice that summoned him. "Why? No.. I see it." Necara finally lined up with Shins idea. "I activate this!" She resummoned the Apprentice and activated the quickplay spell Draw Muscle.

"!?" The mist of darkness could not claim the Apprentice. "If we control a monster with 1000 defense points or less, Draw Muscle will draw 1 card and make that monster unkillable!" Shin explained the effect of the spell. He had seen Necara set it, and he knew the best way to use it. Further attacks would be useless now. "What happened? What made you change your mind." The difference between Shins attitudes was remarkable. "It was you, who made me decide..Pandora. When you showed the Probe, when you hurt Necara like that, I knew what I had to do. It was this simple all along..." Shin balled his hand into a fist. "All this time I have been thinking about what I want, and that's not right. I have to think about my family, my friends.. They wouldn't want this, they wouldn't want me to spit on all their hard work. That is why I am going to help Necara stop you!" Shin grabbed Necara's hand. "Because she is my friend too! We will continue the duel together!"

"If that is your wish." Pandora ended her turn. Despite Shins interference, her overall form stayed as a dark reflection of Necara.

"Shin..I.." Necara wanted to pull free, but didn't. This time she knew exactly what to say. "Thank you." Her eyes returned to meet Pandora's gaze. "Our turn!" She drew their card. "Yes, our turn! We should start with that card!" Shin pointed at one of her old spells. "I get it." Necara activated the Spellbook of Judgment. "!" Xenom-Pandora switched Number pairs immediately. "81st and 84th!" She chose Superdreadnought RailCannon Superior Dora and the 84th Number: Pain Gainer. The latter had an effect that inflicted damage and strengthened itself each time a spell or trap was used, if the XYZ-monster had XYZ-materials. The Judgment book alone cost Shin and Necara 300 lifepoints. Pain Gainer also gave Pandora 200 defense points for each rank her XYZ-monsters had, and could turn that defensive power to destructive ends. But at the zeroeth rank, there was nothing to be gained.

Necara/Shins LP: 3100

"Never mind that. Lets keep going!" Shin shrugged of the pain, and so did Necara. "This one?" She wanted to select one spell. "No. First this!" The two activated a continuous spell, Spellbook Star Hall. It would gain a spellcounter each time a Spellbook was used, and add 100 attackpoints to all spellcasters for each counter. If it was destroyed, they could add a spellcaster to their hand if its level was equal to or lower than the amount of counters the Hall had gathered. "Then now..rgh." While Pain Gainer-Pandora inflicted another 300 points of damage, Necara moved to a third spell card. Shin would proudly declare the spells effect. "Magical Spring! We draw cards for each face-up spell and trap card our opponent controls!" Thanks to all the cards Pandora had gathered, they could draw four times. Though Pandora's spells and traps could not be destroyed this turn. "We also discard a card for each face-up spell we have!" Due to Spellbook Star Hall, one card had to be discarded. But that discarded card was Stoic of Prophecy, whose effect was activated when it went into the graveyard. "We use Stoic to add a level 3 Prohecy monster to our hand, Fool of Prophecy!"

Necara/Shins LP: 2500

"You will destroy yourselves, if you keep this up." Xenom-Pandora(1900/0) had its Number 84 effect triggered a third time. "That is not important, yet!" Necara already saw where to go next. She normal summoned one of hew cards, Amores of Prophecy(4/600/2000). "Amores can special summon a level 4 or lower spellcaster!" Shin then used the effect of Amores, revealing a Spellbook in Necara's hand to special summon Fool of Prophecy(3/1600/900). "And now these!" Necara activated Spellbook after Spellbook. The Spellbook of the Master copied the Spellbook of Eternity and retrieved the banished Spellbook of Secrets. The Secret book searched the deck for Spellbook of Fate. And the Spellbook of Fate was activated at last. "!" Xenom-Pandora, who had inflicted damage three more times for their three spells, now called upon the power of the other Number attached to her. "You are not going to touch me." Number 81: Superior Dora could make one card completely impervious to other card effects. She of course targeted herself with this effect. "We aren't targeting you!" Shin shouted. "We are targeting your spell card!" Necara finished the declaration. Spellbook of Fate banished three other Spellbooks in the graveyard (Secrets/Master/Grand Tower), to remove Numeron Division from the field. Spells and traps could still be removed this turn. "No more double Numbers for you!" Shin laughed.

Necara/Shins LP: 1600

"You are... united." Pandora noticed how synchronized Necara and Shin's plans had become. They did not even need to talk about their strategy anymore. It was difficult to predict their moves. "The _fun_ is only just beginning, isn't it?" Shin nodded to Necara. "Yes. I activate the effect of 'The Fool'" The prophectic fool(1900/900) could discard a Spellbook, like Spellbook Organization, to the graveyard. Then she placed one trap card down. "During the endphase, if five unique spellbooks are in the graveyard, the Fool can tribute himself summon a highlevel dark spellcaster from our deck!" At the end of their turn, there were six books (Fate, Life, Power, Judgment, Eternity and Secrets) in the grave. "We call another Reaper!" The Fool was sacrificed to summon a second Death arcana mage(6/2300/1600) in defense mode. With this many spellbooks in the graveyard, it could activate all three of its powers. The Reaper(2900/600) powered itself up, added a Spellbook of Miracles from the deck to Necara's hand, and it could special summon another level 5 or higher dark-spellcaster from the deck.

"This one; the Wheel!" Necara went for the beastmaster(8/3000/1700) of the Fortune arcana. "When a spellcaster summons Wheel of Prophecy, we can return banished spellbooks to our graveyard or our deck!" The Fortune mage spun his wheel, taking all the banished Books. The spells of Eternity, Wisdom, Master and the Grand Tower were returned to the deck. The Crescent Library was placed in the cemetery.

"Now, Necara. This is what we were waiting for!" Shin resolved the effect of his Spellbook of Judgment. "Judgment falls! The book records how many spells we activated this entire turn, after it went to the graveyard. We can add just as many spellbooks from the deck to our hand as the turn ends!" In total, they had activated five spell cards. "Then.." Necara and Shin could take up to five Spellbooks (Secrets, a second Eternity, Grand Tower, The Master and Wisdom) from the deck. "Oh and we can special summon a spellcaster who has that amount of level stars!" Shin also pulled a monster from the deck, the Emperor of Prophecy(5/2600/200), and summoned it in defense mode. "Not..normal." Necara could barely comprehend what they had done in one turn. She had so many cards in her hand now, that she had to discard one of them (Prophecy Destroyer) to uphold the hand size limit. "This..is.." It was almost starting to feel.. enjoyable.

"This has gone on long enough." The mirror Necara drew a card. "It is nice to see such displays of friendship, it really is. But none of what you do here, will affect anything. I am still the commander of this duel. Together or alone, you will fall." Xenom-Pandora used her effect to attack the Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon. "I destroy..everything." She did not need to detach 5 materials now, to activate the power of the thunder dragon. Pandora pointed a finger at the sky and made thunderbolts rain down from the heavens. "Ah!" Card after card was destroyed; Apprentice Magician(1000/800), Amores(1200/2000) of Prophecy, Spellbook Star Hall. "Spell card, Trap card!" But when it came time for the rest, Necara flipped both set cards. A spell.. "Shared Ride!" And a trap whose effect resolved right away "Dark Illusion!" Dark Illusion protected dark-type spellcasters with 2000 or more attackpoints, like Reaper/Emperor and Wheel, from all effects and destruction. A shield of black magic was created around the Prophecy mages that the lightning could not penetrate.

Meanwhile with the destruction of Star Hall, and the three spellcounters it had collected since activation, Shin and Necara could add the level 3 Temperance of Prophecy to their hands. Though their highlevel spellcasters (Wheel: 2700 atk, Reaper: 2000 atk, Emperor: 2300 atk) lost their powerboosts. "You can not keep doing this." Pandora said as she discarded one monster through Heraldry Augmentation to add a Heraldry trap card to her hand. "Your deck is finite." Due to the effect of Shared Ride, their spell that responded to cards being added to a players hand, Necara and Shin could now draw once. "Says you! My deck is way bigger then a normal deck!" Shin boasted. It was his inability to cut cards from his deck, that kept Necara and him in the game this long. "And..hang on.." However he had not been the only one to add cards. "You.." The Card Necara drew now was not Shins.

"I didn't put this in.." It was hers. It was her Angel of ...

(To be Continued in Cipher 225: A Miracle of Creation)

**New Cards used by Necara/Shin Artega  
**Strength of Prophecy  
Apprentice Magician  
Magical Undertaker  
Amores of Prophecy  
Fool of Prophecy  
Wheel of Prophecy  
Emperor of Prophecy

-  
Gagagadraw  
Draw Muscle  
Spellbook of Judgment  
Spellbook Star Hall  
Magical Spring

-  
Dark Illusion

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**_Number 04: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger  
__Number 59: Landmine Ogre  
__Number 24: Slothful Orochi  
_Number 38: Titanic Galaxy  
Number 96: Dark Mist  
_Number 68: Dystopia  
_Number 81: Superdreadnought RailCannon Superior Dora  
Number 84: Pain Gainer  
Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon


	60. Cipher 225: A Miracle of Creation

**(Cipher 59) 225: A Miracle of Creation**

Necara/Shins LP: 1600 Pandora's LP: 1500

"The..." Shin was just as amazed as Necara, to see what card they had drawn with Shared Ride. "No." Necara however put the card away before Shin could say its name out loud or get a good look at it. "Don't say it." Necara did not want Pandora to hear, if it was not too late already.

"Did you put _that_ card in, Necara? Are you allowing it to control you again?" The 108th had caught on to her reaction. This would not be the first time Necara had lost track of where she placed the Numberless. "That's not true.." Adding the card was an unconscious decision which Necara regretted, just not because of those reasons. She did not know if The End had any power at all now, she was too scared to look at it. "The core remains the same you said. You will have little use for The End, in a deck like his." The Numberless that Pandora knew, worked only by using trap cards. Shins deck had less than a handful of those. "What will you do, Necara?" Pandora placed three trap cards down, filling her backrow. She also placed a monster in face-down defense position.

"Hey, Necara. It doesn't matter." Shin said as he placed his hand on hers. "Maybe we need it, maybe we don't. Either way, we have enough to tear this whole show down." She stared back at him, and slowly nodded. "Yes..we have."

"We activate this!" Their turn began. Out of all the spellbooks they had in their hand, the Grand Spellbook Tower was placed first. "..." Pandora's field spell, Heraldry Augmentation, was demolished to make room for the tower of magic. Now psychic Xyz-monsters could be targeted by spell and trap cards again. "Then we can banish three Spellbooks from the graveyard, to summon the Prophecy Destroyer from the graveyard!" Shin took the Spellbooks of Organization, Judgment and Crescent out of the grave, while Necara took the prophetic devil mage(6/2500/1200) and placed him on the field. "We Xyz-summon." Necara placed the Destroyer on top of the Reaper of Prophecy(6/2600/1600). "Norito." The Monster they summoned was the Shinto priest; Moral Leader Norito(6/2700/2000). It could negate the activation of a spell or trap once each turn, an effect that could be crucial. "Then this book, Wisdom!" Necara targeted the Moral priest with a quickplay spell. The Book of Wisdom would make it immune to trap cards as well. Every precaution had to be taken. Though that did not mean it was enough. "Breath of Corruption." It wasn't enough against a counter trap, which Pandora activated in response to the Book of Wisdom. "Ah." Instead of helping it, the Book of Wisdom killed Norito.

_Breath of Corruption, Counter Trap  
__When your opponent activates an spell or trap card's effect that targets 1 monster on the field; that effect becomes "destroy the targeted monster" instead.  
__During the turn this card is activated, monster cards you control cannot be targeted by the effect(s) of spell and trap cards._

"Guh. Yeah well what about this?" Shin tapped the Emperor of Prophecy(2300/2000) card. "The Emperor can banish a spellbook in our graveyard and a spellcaster on our field, to take control of one of your monsters!" The Emperors Arcana removed the Wheel of Prophecy beastmage(8/2700/1700). It also consumed the Spellbook of Wisdom in the graveyard. "That means yours is ours for one turn!" A spell of domination was cast. "Who do you think you are? The power I have cannot be controlled byn others" Pandora was briefly separated from her Heraldic Genesis form, as the 108th Number now turned itself into a reflection of Esther who stood alone. "Only I can be the Infinite!" Pandora flipped another trap, Oath of Companionship. "Return it." Now that Esther controlled no extra deck monsters, It could take control of one of the opponents extra deck monsters for one turn. Oath of Companionship dragged Number 108 back and made it fuse with Esther again. "Shoot." Shin snapped his fingers. Pandora had that angle covered as well.

"There is still..this.." Necara made a move , activating the Spellbook of the Master. "Fate, I choose Fate." By revealing a Spellbook (Of Miracles) in her hand, the Masters book could imitate the effect of the Spellbook of Fate in the graveyard. The Spellbook used Fate's third ability a second time. "Three of ours." It banished the actual Spellbooks of Fate along with the Books of Eternity and Star Hall. "One of yours." Because of the Corruptive breath that hung in the air, Spellbook of Fate could not target Number 108. Number Wall was not enjoying such protection however. "..." Pandora lost her continuous trap, and now her Number could be killed by any monsters attack or effect.

"I..." There was one spell in their hand begging at Necara to be used now, a spell with a rather comical name. "I can't say this." While Necara had learned many things, a sense for humor was not one of them yet. "Allow me!" Shin took over. "I activate That Wacky Magic! I banish all spells in Necara's graveyard and destroy_ all _your face-up monsters!" That Wacky Magic would count the banished spells, multiply that amount by 300 and destroy any monster who had just as many defense points or less as the endsum. But as Xenom-Pandora had zero defense points, all these spells were really just overkill. "I can not allow this." Now 'She' activated her effect. Number 108 attached Number 66: Master Key Beetle to itself. Through the Law of the First trap card, Number 66's effect was activated in this turn. "I Target 1 other card I have. If I would be destroyed, I can send the target to the graveyard instead." Xenom-Pandora made Law of the First into her target. That continuous trap was sent to the graveyard by That Wacky Magic, instead of Xenom-Pandora

"Aaargh. Nothing we do, sticks." Shin was out of ideas at this point, but not out of hope. All of Pandora's traps and spells were gone, this was their chance. "I know what we can do." Necara breathed in and out, to relax her body. "You.. think it is time?" Shin glanced at one that card. He could not even see how it was supposed to summoned, if it could be at all. "I said I know. I do not think.. I will not be affraid of it anymore." Necara took it and placed it down as a monster card. The card exploded with force and brilliance, Grand Spellbook Tower blown up from within and sent to the graveyard. "Necara?" The kind of power that it unleashed was unlike anything Pandora had experienced. "What have you made?" This was not The End. Instead of sacrificing all trap cards on the field, the Angel absorbed the power of spells. A heavenly being emerged from the ruins of the Tower; an angel(1/100/100) with white wings, a golden staff in her hands, and a face with beautiful blue eyes and silver hair. "Me.."

_Angel of the Beginning - Ann, 1/100/100 Dark/Fairy  
__Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be special summoned (from your hand) by sending all Spell cards on your field to the graveyard.  
__You summon or activate cards from your hand. You can only control 1 "Angel of the End - Numberless".  
__Once per turn you can target 1 Spell card in your graveyard or 1 Spell card that was banished to activate the effect(s) of that card._

"Necara. Wow, how did you.." This card had been the Angel of the End? Shin barely saw a resemblance, not without that terrifying black hole of a face that it had before. "You did this. All of you." Azar had believed in her. Ruby had yelled at her to grow up. Dakar had spoken of family and friendship. Rita had shown her that there was more to life than just what one could see. Korose had kept the memory of Kincaid alive. "You too. You all.. made me see that the power I have, is mine to form." Necara was smiling. "And you.." She did not keep the expression as she turned to Pandora. "You. You only wanted me to stay as I was, you wanted to me live in a world of false joy, with a false family!" Necara had tasted true happiness now. She did not want to return to what Pandora or The End had given her. "I had a real family once, I had someone who was like a father! He gave me a name too.. and now he is gone. You let him die!"

"No. No that is not true, Necara. Kincaid could not be saved, he damned himself." The only reason Pandora could not revive that man, was because he had blown himself up before he was fully possessed by a Number of his own. His connection to Number 73 was not enough. "So you would give me a fake mother? You would scramble a womans memories to please me? No, I will not go back to that!" Whoever gave life to her, it was not anyone Pandora could return. "This is the power you deserve! The Beginning can take any spell and reactivate it!" Necara took that Wacky Magic and reused it. "!" It banished the two new spells in the graveyard to destroy all monsters with less than 400 defense points. "Ah!" Xenom-Pandora was destroyed. "..." Only Esther remained. "This should not be happening.." No traps, no spells, just one monster that could easily be killed.

"This is it!" Shin activated another spellbook. "Spellbook of Miracles! I bring back a dead Xyz-spellcaster and attach 2 banished spellbooks to it!" Shin used the book of miracles to special summon Norito from the graveyard. The Spellbooks of Eternity and The Master were attached to Norito. "Shall we do this?" Shin punched his fist forward. "Let us!" Necara followed his motion. The Emperor of Prophecy attacked first, destroying the face-down Heraldic Beast Berners Falcon(4/1000/1600). "Direct attack!" Then Norito came in for the final blow.

...

"I had no idea." Azar was overwhelmed. Here in this mental realm, Kapha had shown him the extent of his influence. Azar had witnessed countless of 'miracles'. The crafting of infinite energy generators, the development of artificial and replenishable food, the improvements in infrastructure and transport. Those were just the tip of the iceberg. "How can you..do all this?" No man could know all this, could understand every field of knowledge. "You should know the answer to that already. There is no limit to thought when you exist here, there is nothing you cannot learn and nothing you will need to forget. I have evolved, and so can you."

"Why are you offering me this? There is more that you are not telling me." Even if Azar would consider it, he'd still question Kapha's generosity. "Because I see myself in you. I was like you when I was your age.. unsatisfied with the world around me and surrounded by fools. The day that mankind broke into the Numbers world was the day that the world needed. At last, there was a way to break away from internal conflict and a way to unify the human consciousness." Kapha sounded like he was about to go in another one of his speeches. "I am not like you." Azar did not want to listen to anymore of this. "I will not become like you. You have led dozen lives to their death, ruined hundreds more, all in the name of your perfect world. Do you even hear what you are saying? You are human too!" He was worse than Pandora was. Azar could understand 'her' treating humans like tools. But him? "Desire is everything, Mr. Helder. If people want to waste time on their own petty desires, that is one thing. But if they become an obstacle to progress, they need to be taught a lesson."

"And you want me for this. Why do you think..why do you need me?" Something occurred to Azar. "You are not sure that Pandora will win this, are you? You want me in case It loses this duel!" If Pandora were to lose, Kapha would still be around. At least it seemed like that was the case. He could not see the duel that was going on, but he had every confidence in whoever was dueling Pandora. "Let me ask this, Azar Helder. Are you aware of what almost happened when you gave people your 'cure'? They were ready to tear themselves apart, out of fear of the Numbers or out of a need to possess them. The minds of man are too rotten to be allowed to use the Numbers themselves, Mr. Helder. Something needs to guide them. I cannot do it alone. So if Pandora were to fail me.."

**"NO!"**

"Gah! What..was that?" Azar had to cover his ears after an extremely loud cry reached his ears. "That was her. I assume our talk upset her." Kapha was unphased by the sound himself. "Her? Pandora?" It had been listening to them for all this time? "What will it..argh!" Azar felt a strange new pain, a glowing scar on his chest. "My..light.." This was not an attack, this was Pandora tapping into his powers. What was it going to do?

...

"You are wrong, this is not happening. You cannot say that I will fail! YOU CAN NOT REPLACE ME!"

Norito was inches away from Esther, when she too created a burst of energy. "What the?" Shin saw Esther hold up a card that glowed so fiercely, no-one could look at it. "You can activate a card now?" He was sure she had expended everything. "I still have the power of Numeronl! Number 100: Numeron Dragon summons itself from the extra deck!" Esther shouted and placed the monster on the field. "When I control no cards, have no cards in my hand, and am threatened by an opponents Xyz-monster, this Number will rescue me!" The light grew into a strand of light. A dragon of gold(1/100/100) was summoned in defense mode, coiling around Esther like a helix. "The Numeron code. What you took from Azar.." Necara knew what this was, it was the Number that had been catalyzed when all 99 previous Numbers had come together in one host. Number 100 was the power behind the mass production of Numbers. "So what! It has no defense or attackpoints!" Shin and Norito continued attacking anyway. "Huh?" Except his Moral Leader(100/2000) lost nearly all its attackpoints as it tried to touch the Numeron dragon. "Such an act will always fail. Numeron Dragon weakens the attackpower of all that battle with him!"

_Number 100: Numeron Dragon, 1/100/100 Light/Dragon  
__2 Level 1 monsters  
__During either players turn, if your opponent controls a Xyz-monster and you have no cards in your hand or on your field: You can special summon this card from your extra deck in defense position.  
__The ATK of any monster that battles this card becomes 100 during the battle phase only. If this card is destroyed, you can special summon 1 Xyz-monster from your graveyard.  
__Once per battle, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card this card gains ATK equal to the Ranks of 1 other face-up Xyz-monster on the field x 1000, until the end of the battle step._

"Shin, Necara. I allowed you your fun, but you are never going to win this. I can not let it you.." Esther opened her hand, and released a flash of blinding light. "Not again!" Shin grunted as he adjusted to the brightness. When he and Necara opened their eyes again, they weren't standing in the crater anymore. "This is..space?" Everywhere they would look, they would find stars and dark matter. Behind them was a single blue ball. That was their planet. "You did not transport us... What did you do?" Necara figured this was not really were they were, this was another projection on a 360 degree-scale. Otherwise they would be dying right now. "I am showing you what I am seeing." Esther said. Letting them figure out the horrible implications of this. "You can see this? How.. Oh no." Shin hit the realization around the same time a sharp pain hit him. "Gah!" He kneeled down in agony, his hand was burning. "Shin?!" Necara gasped. She saw the number 62 burn on his skin. "The Probe!" Necara understood now. The Probe had finally hit a high enough altitude.

"You do understand. This is what the Probe has been for. Not even someone who has been blessed by Azar can resist the power of the Number now. To continue this duel, will just lead to more suffering.. I do not want that, neither do you." Shin could clearly not continue to duel right now. "Necara..do not give up." But there was no way he would let this decide the fight. "I will not." Necara activated the Spellbook of Eternity, to add Spellbook of Fate from the banished zone to her hand. She placed that spell card face-down along with a monster card. "I end my turn now!"

"You will not be free of me forever, Necara. Now that I have amplified my power, I can even attach a Number to you. It is only a matter of time." Esther drew a card and looked at it. She laughed briefly. "Numeron Dragon, attack Norito!" The golden dragon was switched to attack position and charged headfirst into the Moral priest. "!?" Norito's attack was reduced to a hundred again. This led to the mutual destruction of both Xyz-monsters as they did battle. "When Numeron Dragon is destroyed, one Xyz-monster can be summoned from the graveyard." There was only one choice. "Not.." The death of Number 100, caused the reversal of Number 108's death. Heraldic Genesis Xenom-Pandora(1/0/0) was summoned back to the field. However Esther did not transform into a mirror image of Necara this time.

After that Pandora moved to the second main phase. "Necara, I am grateful for one thing. You taught me that I am still imperfect. I need to be more, and so I will be." Pandora closed her eyes. "Number 13." She attached the 13th Number: Unlucky Streak. "Roll a six-sided die three times. Apply an effect depending on the result." Pandora tossed three virtual dice, and all three landed on six. "Result six; Special Summon 1 monster from either deck or extra deck. I summon ..Lucifer." The ultimate effect of Unlucky Streak summoned the first of all Numbers. The half scorpion/halfdevil, Infection King Baal Zeboul(8/3000/2500), scuttled out of the extra deck.

_Number 13: Unlucky Streak, Dark/Fiend/Xyz 1300/1300  
__2 Level 13 monsters  
__If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, instead.  
__Once per turn you can roll a six-sided die three times, then depending on the total number rolled apply one of these effects.  
_● _3-6: Draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card..  
_● _7-9: Your opponent draws 1 card then discards 2 cards.  
_● _10-12: Inflict 1300 damage to your opponents lifepoints.  
_● _13: Your lifepoints become 100 and this cards effects are negated.  
_● _14-16: Destroy one monster card on the field.  
_● _17-18: Special Summon 1 monster from either deck or extra deck._

_Number 1: Infection Baal Zeboul, 8/3000/2500 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__When this card is Xyz Summoned: Target 1 face-up Xyz monster your opponent controls that has Xyz Material(s); detach that monsters Xyz Material(s), and if you do, attach them to your monster as Xyz Material(s).  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up card; destroy that target, and if you do, if that card was a monster, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK.  
__Once per turn you can send 1 "Number" monster from your opponent's extra deck to the graveyard._

"You want to know why I summoned Lucifers Number. It is because.. Its power and my Probe will bring me to the next stage. Beyond the one, the all and the nothing. The power to create new cards from nothing, I will master this manipulation of fate!" Xenom-Pandora took the card in its hand. "I activate Rank-Break-Magic: The End of Endings!" It was a spell card, one that targeted Number 108 and Number 1 at the same time. "I do not want to see what you are talking about!" Necara yelled back. Her Angel of the Beginning could activate its ability in this turn too. "I banish Spellbook or Miracles!" Angel Ann copied the effect of the miracle spell, to resummon the Xyz-monster Moral Leader Norito(6/2700/2000). The Spellbook of Life and a Spellbook of Wisdom were attached to Norito as materials. "Norito can negate a spell or trap that is activated!" The Priest detached one spellbook to counter Pandora's Rank-spell. "But you must!" So in return Pandora flipped a counter trap; Heraldry Record. It negated any xyz-monsters effect that was activated by detaching a Xyz-material. "!" Norito was destroyed and sent back to the graveyard. "Nothing can stop this!"

_Rank-Break-Magic: The End of Endings, Normal Spell  
__Banish 1 "Number 1" monster you control, target 1 "Number 108" monster you control and all other "Number" monsters on your field and in your extra deck,  
__then Xyz Summon, from your Extra Deck, 1 "Number I108" monster, by using the targeted cards as the Xyz Material._

The End of Endings continued building up energy, erasing the Infection King Baal Zeboul to sustain the process. "This is who I am!" Pandora spread out her arms and let herself be bathed in the expanding sphere of energy. "The..Numbers?" Necara saw several dozen threads travel towards the sphere. There were thirty-six of them, all the remaining Numbers in Pandora's extra deck! "I will break all ranks to reach the limitless stage. I shall shatter all numbers to achieve more than reality. I will abandon Eve, Pandora, Esther. I will become Endless!" The Numbers were absorbed by the sphere of energy, adding more and more effects, attack and defensepoints. That sphere began to take on a more pronounced form. "No way." Shin groaned. The collection of Numbers created a colossal being of pure cosmos, a luminescent Pandora. "Imaginary Number 108! Heraldic Apocalypse - Xenom-Infinity-Zero!" She was greater than anyone and anything. She overshadowed the planet itself. Her eyes reflected an entire star-filled void. This was the new form of of the 108th of Pandora(_∞/_148200/55500)

_Number I108: Heraldic Apocalypse - Xenom-Infinity-Zero, ∞/0/0 Light/Psychic/Xyz  
__100 or more "Number" Monsters  
__This card gains the effect(s) of all "Number" monsters attached to it. You do not have to detach Xyz-materials to activate this card's effect._

(To be Continued in Cipher 226: Truly Infinite)

**New Cards used by Necara/Shin Artega  
**Prophecy Destroyer  
Norito the Moral Leader  
_Angel of the Beginning - Ann_

-  
That Wacky Magic  
Spellbook of Miracles

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Number 66: Master Key Beetle  
_Number 100: Numeron Dragon  
__Number 13: Unlucky Streak  
__Number 1: Infection Devil Baal Zeboul  
__Number I108: Heraldic Apocalypse - Xenom Infinity_

_-  
Rank-Break-Magic: The End of Endings_

_-  
Breath of Corruption  
_Heraldry Record


	61. Cipher 226: Truly Infinite

**(Cipher 226) 59: Truly Infinite**

Pandora's LP: 1500 Necara's LP: 1600

_Number 3: Pestilence Queen,3/0/1300 Dark/Reptile/Xyz  
__3 Level 3 monsters  
__When this card is in attack position: It gains ATK equal to its DEF. When a monster effect is activated on your opponent's side of the field while this card is in face-up defense position: __You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate that monster's effects, and if you do, this card gains DEF equal to the DEF of the negated monster and that monsters DEF is reduced to 0._

_Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon, 5/1000/1500 Dark/Dragon  
__2 or more Level 5 monsters  
__When this card is xyz-summoned: target the top card of either players deck; attach it to this card as an Xyz Material.  
__This card gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to Xyz monsters on the field._

_Number 70: Deadly Sin, 4/2400/1400 Dark/Insect/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 monsters  
__Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material from a face-up Xyz monster you control;  
__Special summon from your extra deck, 1 Xyz monster that is 1 Rank higher than that monster, by using it as the Xyz Material.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz summon. Xyz materials attached to that monster also become Xyz materials on the summoned monster.)  
__When this card leaves the field, negate the effect(s) of all monsters summoned by this cards effect._

_Number 95: Dark Matter Dragon, 9/0/0 Dark/Dragon/Xyz  
__2 Level 9 monsters  
__This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of the Xyz Materials attached to it.  
__If this card battles an opponents monster, after damage calculation: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card can make a second attack in a row.  
__Once per turn you can banish 1 monster card from each players deck. When this card battles an opponent's monster: You can banish both the opponent's monster and this card._

There was no Pandora anymore, now there was just Xenom-Infinity-Zero. Every Number still in the extra deck was attached to its new body. From the third to the 97th. All had a purpose, even if their effect did not. Every power imaginable was granted to It. "Fifth.. 79.." It gained 500 attackpoints for each of its 36 materials from Death Chimera Dragons effect and 100 for each material from Battlin Boxer Nova Caesar's effect. "41, 95." It gained the defense and attack points of each of its materials due to the effect of Gravity Glutton and the original Dark Matter Dragon respectively. "55, 20, 17." The power of Gogogo Goliath added 800 defense points once. The power of Giga-Brilliant and Leviathan Dragon could add 300 ans 500 attackpoints each turn. The Imaginary 108th already used their effects. Because of its own effect, it did not need to detach any materials. "Lilith..the third." And lastly, the power of Pestilence Queen added all those defense points to Pandora's already immense attacktotal. Thus resulting in the universal enemy(150000/56300) that stood before Necara and Shin.

"57 And 44." The 108th used two more powers in its arsenal right away. First was Number 57: Trihead Dust Dragon, which burned one of Necara's monsterzones away when the opponent controlled more monsters than her; making it forever inaccessible. The second was Number 44: Sky Pegasus. Necara had to choose whether to let a monster be destroyed or pay 1000 lifepoints. "This is.. impossible." Angel of the Beginning(1/500/500) was targeted. "Rgh!" Necara would rather pay the cost then let it die.

Necara's LP: 600

"45."Then the 108th used the effect of the Pluto the Agent of Existence. Number 45 doubled the attackpoints It(300000/56300) had. "!?" And the Heraldic Apocalypse could do that either turn. So as soon as the Infinite's turn had ended, Pluto's effect was used again to boost Itself(600000/56300) even further. "Then there's still Numbers 6, 12, 19, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 21, 36, 38, 46, 47, 70, 73, 76, 89, 90, 93, 94 and 97. Necara, do you still believe your Angel will save you..from _me?_" The only reason Necara survived this turn was due to the fact that this turns battle phase had already been used up. The 108th ended its turn. Things looked more hopeless than ever.

"If the worst is always possible.. so is the best." Necara drew a card. "I am fine with whatever waits for me." She flip summoned her hooded spellcaster, Temperance of Prophecy(3/1000/1000). Then she placed down and activated a Spellbook of Secrets which added a Spellbook of the Heliosphere from the deck to her hand. That spell was set down too. She had to go through this, because the Angel of the Beginning did not allow her to play cards from her hand directly. "I activate this." The book of the sun Arcana could be flipped and activated, as five unique spellbooks (Eternity, Master, Life, Secrets, Wisdom) were in Necara's graveyard. Heliosphere would excavate the next two cards from the deck and any Spellbooks among them would be added to Necara's hand. "I got two!" The top two cards on Necara's deck were the Spellbooks of Enlightenment and a second Spellbook of Eternity. Both were drawn. "With this spell activated, I can activate Temperance's power." The temperate mage sacrificed herself, so that a highlevel dark magic or light magic caster could be called from the deck. The Angel of the Beginning did not prevent summons from the deck. "World of Prophecy!" Within the cosmic battlefield, the angelic sage of arcana was special summoned. The World arrived with the light of seven colors, and its powers could lead to the destruction of all other cards on the field. Necara had to try.

"And so your cycle of Arcana cards comes to completion. But what is different? What have you learned? Nothing." Xenom-Infinity-Zero snapped its finger. "25th." With the power of Number 25: Focus Force, the effects of a level 5 or higher monster could be negated. "!" The World of Prophecy was frozen in time, turned into a still and immobile image. It could not use is ability to add Spellbooks from the graveyard to Necara's hand, or destroy every other card on the field. "Look behind you. You live on a plane where dawn and dusk chase each other." The earth was just a dot in the distance now, the Probe had gone beyond the Moon. "Look around, I live beyond. Your world begins and ends with _me_." Pandora activated another Numbers effect, Number 31 The Embodiment of Punishment. All of Necara's monsters were switched to attack position. The 31st Number would force all monsters that could attack, to attack. And while Necara could switch The Angel of the Beginning and Emperor of Prophecy(6/2300/2000) to defense mode. The World was summoned in _this_ turn, so its position could not be changed manually. "All follow me."

"No. I refuse to accept that!" Necara flipped her set card, Spellbook of Fate. "I know the kind of power you have right now!" Necara had once held them all Numbers herself. She was familiar with each and every effect. She knew that one Number: Proud Typhon the 90th, made it impossible to banish any monsters. Spellbook of Fate's third effect would not work. But its second effect to switch a monsters position would. "The power of Punishment can't be used twice in one turn!" Spellbook of Fate banished only 2 spellbooks from the graveyard (Secrets and Heliosphere). to change World of Prophecy to face-down defense mode. Defending monsters could not be forced to attack at least. "Angel of the Beginning activates Gagagadraw in my banished zone." This turn Necara used her angels power to give herself more options. Costlessly she used Gagagadraw's effect to draw two cards. "So many have fought you. You can't think that you are the solution that everyone wants!" Before her turn was over, Necara activated the Spellbook of Enlightenment to change Angel of the Beginning into a spellcaster type monster until the start of her next turn. And she placed three trap cards and one spell card down.

_Number 90: Proud Typhon, 8/3000/2600 Light/Winged Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 8 monsters  
__If this card destroys an opponents monster as a result of battle, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; return that monster to your opponents hand.  
__Monster cards on the field cannot be banished while his card has Xyz-material(s)._

_Spellbook of Enlightenment, Normal Spell  
__All face-up monsters on the field and in your graveyard become spellcaster-type monsters until the next endphase.  
__During your Main Phase, if this card is in your Graveyard you can banish 3 spell cards to add this card to your hand.  
You can only activate 1 "Spellbook of Enlightenment" per turn._

"And you can? Necara, you do not have the power or right to speak for every human." Pandora started its turn. Immediately Necara's Angel activated the effect of Draw Muscle in the graveyard. Draw Muscle targeted the angel to make it untouchable by other attacks for one turn, and to let Necara drew one new card. "You have shown me all you can do." Imaginary Number 108 used the powers of Embodiment of Punishment once more. All of Necara's monsters were forced back in attack position. "I have yet to begin." Then the powers of Leviathan Dragon, Gigabrilliant followed; 800 attackpoints were added to the Heraldic Xenome(600800/56300). "I will travel all of existence! Nothing can hide from me! The universe will not keep its secrets buried!" And Its(1201600/56300) attackpoints were doubled by Pluto the Agent of Existence.

"Over a million..attackpoints." Shin was still resisting the burning mark on his hand, but in the face of such power all he could do was lay there and writhe. The entire galaxy seemed to tremble from the power of Xenom-Infinity-Zero.

"No! You are not everything, you are nothing!" Necara activated a trap card. "You're still tied to your lifepoints! Magical Explosion will deplete it all!" When a player had no cards in their hand, they could use Magical Explosion to inflict 300 points of damage for each spell card in the graveyard. Necara banished all six of them (Spellbooks of Fate, Enlightenment, Secrets, Master, Wisdom, Eternity) to cause more damage than Pandora could sustain. But she did this with the intent of failing. "You call Me nothing.. You!?" The Infinite could easily negate the damage by activating Number 76: Lusting Echidna's effect. Petrifying it as it were. That was also Its only option. "Yes. I do. Because that is what you are, you were made to become what I couldn't. You were made to be nothing, a life of emptyness!" Using the power of Number 76 had a downside, it negated _all_ damage. Necara could not be hurt this turn either.

_Number 89: Lusting Echidna, 3/2200/300 Earth/Reptile/Xyz  
__2 Level 7 monsters  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, neither player takes damage until the end of this turn.  
__The ATK of any monster that battles this card becomes 0 at the end of the damage step._

"That was the past, that was Eve.. Esther.. They were tiny. I cannot even remember what that was like, anymore!" Pandora had negated the damage, but that did not mean it was harmless. It could still destroy anything it wished to. "You..are tiny. You are nothing." Pandora activated Number 44: Sky Pegasus and targeted the Angel of the Beginning again. "Terminus is nothing, The End is nothing, Chaos is nothing." This time Necara surely could not pay the 1000 lifepoints to keep her angel alive. "Trap!" Necara did not need to. She activated the continuous trap card, Gagaga Shield. "Ha!" Shin found the strength to applaud her move, as Gagaga Shield deflected the holy energy from Number 44. "That is why you used the Spellbook of Enlightenment." Shin laughed. Gagaga Shield would protect a spellcaster against two deaths. One was taken care of.

"..." Necara's other cards lacked that fortune. The gigantic Xenom-Infinity-Zero declared an attack against the World of Prophecy, sweeping its hand through space to desintegrate the angelic mage. "Ah!" Necara, Shin and her cards were tossed around like ragdolls by the force of the attack. "The 29th." And then the power of Number 29: Sirrush of Vanity, was invoked. The hound of envy would destroy one more life in the wake of the first kill. "Gagaga Shield!" Necara regained her balance in time to protect her angel, as she was the target of Number 29's destruction effect. However by now Gagaga Shield had become so brittle that it could not defend against another hit.

_Number 29: Sirrush of Vanity, 5/2500/1500 Dark/Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 5 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters.  
__Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed as a result of a card effect, you can inflict 1000 points of damage to that card's controller.  
__If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy 1 face-up monster with less ATK than this card._

"It will end, like everything else. The 95th!" Because of Dark Matter Dragon, the 108th could make another attack against another monster. It grabbed the Emperor of Prophecy and crushed it into cosmic dust. "Ngh." And with Sirrush' effect the destruction spread out to Necara's angel, breaking it and its shield with one burst. "There is nothing that I cannot be. There is nothing I cannot overcome." Pandora moved into the second main phase. The effect of Number 57: Trihead Dust Dragon destroyed another monster zone on Necara's side. "How can Kapha's failure try to lecture his success! How can Kapha even think I would lose to you?!" Then It placed a trap card and ended the turn. During Necara's turn it used the power of Number 45 to double its power for the fourth time. The ambient force of The Infinite(2403200/56300) caused bolts of energy to fly everywhere in the universe. It was as if Xenom-Infinity-Zero was attacking the fabric of existence itself.

"Can you..be yourself?" Necara asked It now. "...what?" The great Imaginary Number could not answer. It could not understand the question.

"You can be anyone you want, any human or Number. But what are _you_?" Necara activated a spell card, Monster Reborn, to special summon the Angel of the Beginning back in defense mode. "I know what I am, I know what I can't do. But even with nothing, I still.. live. You never learned that, you took the easy way.. invading other people's hearts." She then activated the Spellbook of Eternity in her hand, to take the banished Spellbook of Miracles back. "I know what I can do. I atcivate the Book of Miracles!" The spellbook was opened and it took two random banished spellbooks to attach to an Xyz-monster in the graveyard. That Xyz-monster, Hierophant of Prophecy(7/2800/2600) was special summoned to the field. "I can target your set card to destroy it!" The Hierophant detached one material, to destroy as many of Pandora's spell/trap cards, as there were spellbooks in the graveyard. "That is not what you can do!" Unfortunately one Number, Bolt of Zeus the 76th, could counter this.

_Number 76: Bolt of Zeus, 5/2400/1400 Light/Thunder/Xyz  
__Once per turn you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; target 1 set card on your side of the field; destroy that target.  
__Once per turn, when a set card(s) you control would be destroyed by a card effect, you can reveal it to negate that effect._

The Hierophants magic was deflected by a wall of deafening thunder and lightning. The effect of Number 76 revealed Pandora's trap to protect it. "...!" That trap was XYZ Reflect, a counter trap that could negate anything that targeted an Xyz-monster, and inflict 800 points of damage at the same time. "You realize your limits more and more, Necara." Now, even if she could, Necara would suffer for trying to hit Number I108 with any card effects. The only other card in Necara's hand was Riryoku, the spell that could drain half a monsters attackpoints and add it to her own. Not even that would help her, when Pandora still had the attack manipulating powers of Number 73: Abyss Splash or Number 36: Chronomaly Fork Hyuk. The girl had little left.

Not that it mattered, the duel had already gone on for too long. "Haaa!" An unexpected surge of energy struck her heart, making her feel like she was set on fire. "Oh no!" Shin recognized the reaction, it was the same thing he was going through already. The Probe had reached her too now. "A Number? Me?!" It hurt so deeply that Necara was forced to kneel. She reached for her neck, where a mark was slowly being engraved in her skin. "Necara, Shin, please.. do not struggle against it anymore. This duel has lost its purpose. Come back to me, let me save you." Xenom-Infinity-Zero extended a hand, beckoning for them both. "..Never!" Necara instead pulled her own hand back, revealing her mark. It was the Number zero. "That..is your Number?" Pandora's voice revealed its disappointment. "Despite everything, you still have not found your potential, no possibilities. Your wish is to be nothing."

"You are wrong about that!" Necara shouted brazenly, standing on both legs. "Zero is not nothing, zero is a clean slate! From zero, anything can begin! There are infinite possibilities! You have already achieved your infinity, there is nothing left for you but to find enemies that do not exist! And there is nothing you can do without it but beg! You are not our savior, you are a danger to everything!" Necara used her Angel of the Beginning's effect. It activated the effect of Monster Reborn in the graveyard to special summon the Moral Leader Norito(6/2700/2000). "Ebon Illusion Magician." Necara turned Norito into an Xyz-material. Any rank 6 spellcaster monster could be used to xyz-summon the higher-ranked illusonist(7/2500/2100) of dark magic.

"You're right.." Shin meanwhile felt less agonized by his own Number mark somehow. It might have been an effect of Necara's new Number. "I can do anything I want. The future is not set in stone!" Shin returned to her side and activated the effect of the monster that she had just summoned. Ebon Illusion Magician could detach its material to special summon a normal-type spellcaster from the deck. The original Dark Magician(7/2500/2100) was summoned. "And the future we choose is this one!" Necara placed her hand on her extra deck, and the mark on her neck changed. "The Number.." A letter appeared before the zero, the letter 'F'. Necara's extra deck released a light of indistinguishable colors. "Future Number 0" Necara declared. Both the Illusion Magician and the Hierophant were removed, they were overlayed. "Two non-Number Xyz-monsters of equal rank can become the Hope, the King of the Future!" It was an Xyz-summon of another level, one that created a winged knight(0/0/0) in red and silver armor. It resembled Utopia.

"Rank zero.. Number zero.." The almighty Infinite could not believe what was being shown to It. Necara had accepted a Number, yet it was not one that could be controlled. "You created something out of nothing, something that can undo me." Forcing a Number upon Necara had gone all wrong. This was not what Pandora wanted to happen. Though she still had XYZ Reflect. "It is only fair right? I you can make a card in the middle of a duel, so can we!" Shin become more and more animated. he used his newfound energy to reverse Necara's last set trap card. "Let me help you, Necara! I activate Eternal Soul!" A continuous trap, a stone tablet, was revealed. He had been waiting for this chance. "Eternal Soul protects my Dark Magician from all effects! And once per turn, it can add either a Thousand Knives or Dark Magic Attack spell card to our hand!" One spell could target and destroy monsters, the other destroyed spells and traps, but both required a Dark Magician to be on the field. The choice was clear. "We take Dark Magic Attack and activate it!" The Soul tablet gave the Dark Magician one of its strongest spells. The Magician unleashed the Attack of Dark Magic on the enemy's field, destroying Pandora's facedown XYZ Reflect. "She is all yours!"

"Thank you. Shin. I do not know what it is like to be a friend, but I know..that you are a good one." Necara laughed a little, before she headed into battle with Future King Hope. "There is one weakness you have not covered, Pandora! There is not a single Number that can stop me from taking control of Number I108! When Future King Hope battles, it cannot be destroyed! All damage will be rejected and the monster it battled.. will fall under our control!" The King of the Future jumped forward with his sword drawn. "You cannot do this. You cannot hold the kind of power I possess! Only I can be..I can be.." Xenom-Infinity-Zero had one last number to call upon, Number 97: Mesotopia. "When any player's monster declares an attack, I may destroy all attack-position monsters with less ATK than me!" Number I108 took its own sword to counter the attack of Number F0.

"You should not have this power! You have forgotten yourself!" Necara detached one material from her Xyz-monster. "Number Zero cannot be destroyed by effects either!" The Future King cut through the giant Mesotopian sword with its smaller two blades. "I know what I am! I am.." The Infinite uttered one final cry in its godlike Heraldic form, right as Hope planted its swords in ist forehead. All damage was reduced to zero, and at the end of their clash.. Number I108 was moved to Necara's side of the field. "I am.." Esther was alone again, tiny..insignificant. "I am Astrid." The artificial intelligence was losing power, becoming unstable. "No.. Esther.. No.. Pandora.. No.. Ion.. Claud.. Subito.. I want..I need them." Everything, everything was gone. So many memories left her, were leaving her. Her Numbers were with Necara now, freely floating in the cosmos.

"I will ask you one last time, Esther. Surrender. What you have become is too much. Can't you see that you are hurting everyone? Can't you try to put yourself in our minds? You can not force people to be happy, you cannot make them forget who they are. If I can change, so can you. You can learn to feel, without taking the emotions of others." Number I108 and every one of its million attackpoints were on Necara's side now. She could still attack. Yet strangely, Necara experienced something new. This mournful hesitation, was this sympathy? If it was, Esther was one of the first to receive it.

"No." But Esther rejected it. "If you want to end this, you will have to go through with it. I will not regret. I would do everything the same if I had a second chance. That is..who I was.. If I can not be that again.. I do not want to be anything at all."

"Then It ends now, doesn't it?" Shin saw no other solution. "It does.. Esther, the Future is ours." Necara declared a direct attack with the collective of Numbers.. finally concluding their fight...

Pandora's LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher 227: A New Day)

**New Cards used by Necara/Shin Artega  
**Ebon Illusion Magician  
Number F0: Future King Hope

-  
Spellbook of the Heliosphere  
_Spellbook of Enlightenment_  
Dark Magic Attack

-  
Magical Explosion  
Gagaga Shield  
Eternal Soul

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**_Number 3: Pestilence Queen  
__Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon  
_Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis  
Number 12: Ninja Armor Master  
Number 17: Leviathan Dragon  
Number 19: Freezadon  
Number 20: Giga-Brilliant  
Number 22: Zombiestein  
Number 25: Force Focus  
_Number 26: Spade Knightmare  
_Number 28: Titanic Moth  
_Number 29: Sirrush of Vanity  
_Number 30: Acid Golem of Destruction  
Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment  
Number 32: Shark Drake  
Number 36: Chronomaly Fork Hyuk  
Number 37: Spider Shark  
_Number 41: Gravity Glutton  
_Number 44: Sky Pegasus  
_Number 45: Pluto - Agent of Existence  
_Number 46: Dragluon  
Number 47: Nightmare Shark  
Number 55: Gogogo Goliath  
Number 57: Trihead Dust Dragon  
_Number 70: Deadly Sin  
_Number 73: Abyss Splash  
_Number 76: Bolt of Zeus  
_Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Caesar  
Number 89: _Lusting Echidna  
__Number 90: Proud Typhon_  
Number 93: Hope Kaiser  
Number 94: Crystal Zero  
_Number 95: Dark Matter Dragon  
__Number 97: Mesotopia_

-  
XYZ Reflect


	62. Cipher 227: A New Day

**(Cipher 61) 227: A New Day**

What was nothing but a black emptiness before, now turned into a myriad of colors. Lights of all kinds struck Azars eyes as everything around him became loud, unstable and chaotic. Fragments of sentences echoed indefinitely, changing tone/voice and inflection each time.** "Kapha.. Azar.. Shin.. Necara.. I was.. I am.. I should be. Everybody.. One Body.. No Body. Love.. strong. I wanted it.. for me... Was selfish.. Do not remember now.. Will go back.. Will be.. tiny" **The voice lost power with each repeat. The last words anyone could hear were delivered with a cold monotone..

**"Do not forget _me._."**

"Those words.. that was Pandora. She has lost!" This was the mindscape created by both It and Kapha. This pandemonium could only result from one of their downfalls. "You would be correct." It was not him at least, Kapha did not seem to be concerned in the slightest either. "It was all too much for her, the attacks on her mind and her power. In the end there are some things a machine just can not be." He kept on talking as the world around him crumbled. But Azar did not care about that anymore. "What happens now, Kapha?" He was more worried about the state of the world, the Numbers and Kapha. "I would have thought you came to a conclusion yourself already, Mr. Helder. I cannot predict what will need to be done, or what will take place next. But I can safely assure you, that you will be back for me. I am not going anywhere." Kapha was still fused with the First Number, he was functionally immortal. "But the rest of you should return to your limited physical selves. Enjoy the memories."

...

Necara's LP: 600 Pandora's LP: 0

A thunderous explosion ruptured the illusory cosmic void that had been cast around the duel, while far off in space the Probe that was passing the Moon self-destructed due to an overload error. "..." The Infinite was out of Numbers. Number I108 had been taken and used to destroy itself. All of Its power tore up into a billion threads of energy that flew in every conceivable direction. There was no a single spec of Pandora left in the end, It was too far removed from Itself to exist without others.

All that remained were the two who had pushed themselves to the brink and come out victorious. "We won..." Necara was the first to react, to take this triumph in. "Ha.." She let herself drop to the ground, taking in one long breath. "Hahaahaha!" Before she erupted with laughter. "Necara.." Shin was surprised, it did not sound like her, this was no laughing fit of maniacal glee. It was a kind, pleasant sound. "We sure did." Shin could only muster a chuckle himself. He was glad that it was all over, and he sat down to relax as well. But it had cost so much.

"Oh!?" He got back up as he noticed several glowing symbols descend. "The others!" Azar, Ariel, Dakar and the rest; they were all brought back down to the ground and released from their crest-prisons of energy. "Uhn.." They all started to wake up as well, with Azar being the first. "Shin..you..you and Necara..." He was the only one who knew what they had accomplished. "You did, what I couldn't." Azar was glad for them, but ashamed of himself. They would not have been in this position to begin with, if he had not lost to Pandora. "Only because of you." Shin would not have any of that. "_We_ did it'. All of us." He placed his hand on Azars shoulder and made him look around. Ruby, Korose, Dakar, they had all helped them get this far. "It is true. No one could do this alone." Necara nodded. More than ever, she now understood the power of working together. "You guys.."

The rest all started coming around as well. With Dakar waking up right next to his sister. "Dakar!" She got up and embraced him as soon they looked at each other. "Ariel, I.. I am sorry for everything I did." At first Dakar could only think about the things he had done to her today. He never wanted to think of it again, he never wanted to fight with her again. "Ssssh..don't bring that up. It's in the past." She did not care, she did not want to ruin this moment. She just hugged him tighter. "Of course." Dakar put a smile on his face and held her as well. What mattered was that they were free to be with each other again.

"Need a little help?" Meanwhile Xander extended his hand to Ruby who was still lying there, exhausted. He was still being a gentleman as always. "No..thanks.. I am good." Frankly she would not have minded if she could rest a little longer. But she was happy. "You should try it, just lying in the dirt." She did not realize how much she appreciated things like this, until right now. "I believe I will pass. Maybe one day, who can tell?" Xander sighed. "I just hope this was all worth it.."

"Oh. Korose.." Xanders eyes caught Korose standing in the distance, standing over another mans body. "Oh..no." Not everyone was going to wake up again. Ion was still lying there, looking as pale as the white coat he wore. "Korose. It's okay to say what you want to say." Azar believed he knew what was on his mind. It had been ever since the beginning. "I have no regrets, Azar Helder. I knew things would come down to this, and that it was what had to be done. I fell before I could assist in the fight against Esther, but I know I made a difference." Korose stood firm and spoke with a strong voice. The only weakness he could show was his quivering hand. "I only wish that there was a truly right thing to do." After all the things he had done to make up for what was done, he still did not feel like it was enough. Ion was still dead..

But there were more of the Seven who had lost everything. "No.. what happened to Rita?" And the former owner of the 103rd Number was one of them. "Why isn't she waking up?" Ariel cried out. Few knew what she had done to help Ruby before her battle, even fewer understood her conditions now. "She gave her lifepoints, but she shouldn't be.." Ruby rushed to the girl to check her for lifesigns. As it turned out she was still breathing and her heart was beating. "Asleep? A Coma?" That was about all that could be detected, for the rest Rita was as quiet as the grave. "What could have happened?" Dakar asked a question that had no answer. "I don't know.. she said something about finding Claud. You don't think.." Ruby could not imagine what Rita was doing right now, was she really just not awake? "We will figure it out. We are not going to leave anyone behind." Azar looked around the fields, around the crater and charred ruins. "We are done here." Subito, Ion and Rita were here, Claud was still somewhere else. They would find him too.

"But is it over? Do you think this is it?" Xander did not think they had the entire story yet. Defeating Pandora was not the only part of the solution. "What about the Numbers? Where did they go, or where will they go?" Xander looked at his own cards. The Number 106 was no longer among them. "The dimensions should be normalized again. As is the world." The whole sky was covered with clouds, but no red light of chaos shone through. The Echoes had been satisfied it seemed. Without Pandora, people around the whole world would regain consciousness. They no longer would be forced to be bonded with a Number. " have my powers. I can open the gate between worlds if I need too. The Numbers wont be stuck here." Though Azar was as of yet uncertain if the Numbers had to be returned to their world at all. For all of Its faults, Pandora had been right about one thing. The world gained many benefits from the Numbers powers. What future really awaited them depended on a choice. And it was not a choice that Azar could make on his own.

"We should go back, go home." Shin eventually said. "He should be there." Not once had he looked at his brother, not once had he looked forward to what had to happen next. But Subito had earned a place to rest. "..Shin. We can help." Dakar did not say it out loud; the things he and his family could do for the deceased. He was certain that his mother and father would help them if he asked. "I.." Shin however already understood Dakar, and it made the situation all too real. "I can't.." He did not want to talk about it anymore, he did not want to see it in his mind. "You wont have to. Let's just return.. " Ariel wanted to see her family again too. And there were people who would like to see Shin again as well. "Of course." Azar heard their requests. He was the only one who could move them there. "To home." He teleported them all to the city where it all began for them, and to Serins house.

...

Once they arrived, the mood changed quickly. Their return was made less joyous than it could have been. Ariel and Dakar had to explain to their parents where they had been, what had been going on, and who all these people were. They, much like the rest of the world, now had to deal with their true memories returning. It left them disoriented, to say the least. At least they were willing to accommodate for their losses. The Serin household, already an place with lots of room and comfort, was turned into a rendez-vouz point. Ariel called for all their other friends to meet them there, so they could say that it was over at last.

"You guys are still here?" The people who visited the place included Deckard and Judith. Ruby had forgotten about them after everything she had gone through. "Of course." Deckard was in a jolly enough mood to wrap his muscular arm around Ruby. "Heck. Maybe I have had my brain scrambled by Numbers, Chaos Forces and Pandoras, maybe I got myself confused down the line. But you're still a friend of mine, and we don't abandon friends." He was much the same in any condition, except without the fanatic and self-centered edge. Ruby liked this version. "... what about you Judy? How are you holding up?" Ruby noticed that Judith did not look as blissful anymore, without her Numbers. "I am fine. If you;re happy, I am happy." She did not sound suicidal at least. That was a plus. "Heh. And after I beat you two, you still do this for me." Ruby laughed to herself. At this rate she half-expected Theo to show his face. "Hey now. You got lucky. Next time, I will get you for sure!" Deckard had a good long laugh himself.

"...You had me worried sick! No..No I can't say that." Meanwhile Natasha sat in the corner of the chapel room, muttering to herself. "Miss Hessdalen, what are you doing?" Xander walked up to her, curious about her outbursts. "I am trying to figure out what I should say to Shin." She admitted. Shin was outside the building right now, anxiously waiting for a word from his mother and father. Natasha did not want to go outside without the proper words. "It's just that I have been so mad with him, ever since he left the city without telling them anything. But.." Who could be mad with someone who had just lost his older brother? "I see. That does sound difficult. I wish I could help you." Xander did not have any brothers or sisters. If he had, he still would not be able to say that he could understand Shins pain. "Just say what you really feel, right now. Honesty is the best medicine. That and having someone there for him." He did not think that Shin needed space, he was not the kind of kid who did well on his own. "Thanks..I will try."

Other conversations went on in the house, as they waited for more to arrive. "Should you be here?" Necara freely struck up one with Azar, surprising him. "..Why do you ask me that?" She had changed more during his blackout than he had noticed. "Your family is not around, and probably will not come either." There was no point in waiting if one could just teleport to their location. "My family.." In truth, Azar had considered his reunion with them for some time now. If not his father and mother, Camilla at least deserved to see him again. "Maybe later..." Yet Azar had more important matters to think about, he did not want to put his own needs ahead of others. On that note he asked Necara a question of his own. "How about you? Don't you have a family?" Azar had met her mother, and she seemed nice enough despite her not being Necara's real mother. "Her? She was just forced to love me, to adopt me. I don't see why I should go back." Necara would not be shocked at all, if that woman never wanted to see little 'Ann' again. "You don't know that until you ask her. She might miss you.."

"Everyone!" Sky entered the lobby, shouting and running. "What took _you_ so long?" Ruby scoffed. For someone who claimed to be athletic, he had definitely shown up late. "Sky? What's the matter?" Ariel on the other hand could see that something had scared Sky. "Ariel..I.. It's terrible. You need to come outside now!" He raced back out the door and everyone went to pursue him. Once outside they saw that panic was alive in the streets. People had begun to scream and scramble, cars sped across the road. "No!? Why ... is this because of the Numbers?" Ariel had expected some fallout after the disorientation ended, but not on this scale. "No. It's not because of that. Look at the sky!"

"Ahhh!" A large hole had appeared above. "That is.." It was a tear in time and space, filled with all the colors of the world and more. "The Numbers world." It looked exactly like the portals that Azar had seen before. But this one was unstable. "What is this.. what happened? Why is that portal here?" Just like the rest of the city, the sight of it freaked Natasha out. As far as she had been told, everything had been sorted out with the other dimension. "It is happening all over too!" Sky showed images on his D-pad, photos taken from every other country on the world. "How.." The rift looked exactly the same; same shape and same size. It was like an optical illusion."I do not understand. I made clear that i could purify the corruption between order and chaos. Our world and theirs are no threat to each other, this cannot be their doing." Not on purpose at least. "It's Pandora's power." Necara suddenly suggested. "It had gathered so much energy, taking it out left a void that could not be filled. This is the result. It may even have been what I wanted.." Putting so much power together in one spot was dangerous, Pandora would have known this. "It left us with a dying galaxy."

"Perhaps...I have to get close. Stay here, stay inside!" Azar looked to the skies and moved away to travel to the portal. If he could just reach it...

He couldn't. It was like it existed in another world entirely. As much as Azar tried, he could not close the distance. Every time he tried to warp to it, he only ended up flying through an empty sky with the unstable portal still miles away. He tried to fly towards it, and never got closer. Yet it existed, its power was growing steadily and the tear was becoming greater. "Gah!" Azar tried to shoot at it with the power of the Light, he summoned his Shining Number Utopia to unleash slash after slash. None of it worked, it all phased through as if it was made of air. No matter or energy could interact with the portal, not even the force of Chaos and Order. "What do you want! What can I do!?" Azar shouted at the dimension that lied beyond the opening. There lied the Numbers world. They with all their knowledge, must have known what was going on. Yet no answer came, no communication was attempted._ "They are just as lost as we are. That they are lost is the problem to begin with!"_ The Numbers were crying, they were in pain.. here and there.

_"Kapha!"_ What was it that Kapha had said? _"He and Pandora were the caretaker... There must always be a caretaker?" _Azar closed his eyes and focused on where he wanted to be and could be.

One second later he teleported to the control room of Agency HQ. Here, there was not as much chaos as there was back in the cities, but every soldier was obviously in a state of uproar. _"They know already.." _The men were panicking about how the portal was still growing in size and did not seem to slow down_. "_I need to see someone!" Azar shouted at everyone to get their attention. "Azar!?" Darcy was there as well and she was the one to answer him. "Darcy." He cried out his name as he saw her enter the control room. "I knew you would come here eventually. I'm very glad to see you. If there is anything I can do to help.."

"Darcy, I need to see Kapha, his body. He is connected to all of this. The rift could be the start or another collision crisis." The last one had nearly destroyed the earth. This portal was even greater. They did not have much time. "I know you do, Kapha did as well." She said quickly but calmly. "...what?" Azar was certain he just heard that. "It was him, the real him this time. I did not hear it through this." She took off her hairband. "I saw it on his treatment pod, on his display screen. He told me to pass something on.."

"86, 103, 104, 57, 62, 46 and F0."

(To be Continued in Cipher 228: With New Possibilities)


	63. Cipher 228: With New Possibilities

**(Cipher 62) 228: With New Possibilities**

It seemed quite obvious to everyone, when Azar returned to the city to tell his friends about Darcy's message, what it meant. "86, 103, 104, 57, 62, 46 and F0? Those are our Numbers?! What the hell does it want with them?" The reason why however eluded most of them. "He wants _us_, Ruby. Kapha reached out to tell us this." Azar had already arrived at that conclusion himself. "We were the ones to challenge Pandora, each of us contributed to Its downfall. So one of us can..has to.. replace It. There is no catalyst left to guide the Numbers. Only one of them can undo the damage." Korose, Ruby, Dakar, Azar, Necara and Shin; those were the names. "What would this entail? What would we need to do?" Dakar wanted to stop this chaos as much as anyone, but becoming a catalyst sounded like a task that could consume ones very existence and identity. Right now the law enforcers managed to keep panic down to a minimum but this relative silence would not last.

"The First and the Eight are the key Numbers, we must bring the physical cards to Kapha; the previous owner. He is still hooked up to the catalyst Numbers." After the duel with Pandora, the Numbers had scattered across the globe. But the first nine were back where they originally rested, Kapha's underground lair. That man had sworn to Azar that they would need to see each other again, that someone would need to fill the void. Pandora was gone, but the Numbers were not.. "The Numbers will tear this world apart without guidance. The humans will do the same at this rate, there are too many of us.. too many minds and thoughts. Kapha wants us to make a choice first, or to prove ourselves. I do not know which it is. That is why I came to you, before I did anything else. You had to know." Azar would have offered himself, but he did not want to be the only one to make that decision. They were all his allies and his friends. He at least was ready to make the sacrifice.

"What would I do with all that power? Ehhh.. I'll pass." Ruby was the first to say no. She did not consider herself nearly as responsible as one would have to be in that kind of position. "I do not want to leave my family either, not when I do not know how long it will take." Dakar also had his answer ready. He only needed to look at his sister besides him, and his mother and father standing at the end of the room. He was not going to go anywhere. "You already succeeded me in every way. If anyone can do this, it is you." Azar had his blessings in either case.

"What about you, Korose?" Azar turned to the agent. He might not have dueled Pandora directly, but Kapha evidently considered him a worthy candidate still. "I would only accept this task, if all others reject it. I would do what had to be done. I, however, do not feel I am the right man for this. I know my own limits and this seems beyond me." Korose wished he was a smarter man, but even considering the fate of the entire world was too much for him to conceive. With that condition on the table, and Rita's coma in effect, there were two who remained.

"What are you going to do?" One of them finally showed himself.

"Shin?" Natasha saw Shin for the first time in days. He came back from the basement with a strange new look on his face. "Azar.." Shin was not looking at her or anyone else besides Azar. "Shin, what is this about?" Azar could not tell what was on Shins mind, he did not have the time to guess. "The Numbers, what are you going to do with them? Are you going to send them back?" Shin asked his questions more directly then. "I would use the power to control them first. I would worry about their destination afterwards." Azar answered as truthfully as possible, because he had not decided that for himself yet. "Then you are thinking about another future." That was too much doubt already, Shin could accept nothing less than one choice. "Azar, I cannot let you go through with this. I will do it."

"Whaaaat?" Natasha cried. "Shin? What are you saying?" Ariel grew concerned as well. This did not seem like Shin. "I know what I am saying, and doing. The Numbers have caused enough pain. The only way to end this is to return them all to where they came from!" Shin never kept his eyes off Azar, he did not yield. Even Azar was astonished. "Shin.. Are you sure? Think about it. Think what the Numbers have done for the world. They are not evil, they were used by Pandora like everyone else!" The only reason Azar couldnot share Shins point of view, was the fact that he had seen how much better this world was now. Kapha had made him see. "Until we take advantage of it, right? I have seen how bad people can be too! We should not have the Numbers to begin with! We did fine without them, we can do so again Necara, you agree with me, dont you?" Shin turned to the girl in grey for support.

"I.. do not." It was not given. "What? What's this? You agree with him!?" Shin nearly flew into a rage because of her refusal. "No. I do not agree with either of you." She revealed coldly. "Then.. you do not relent your part either?" Necara could not be more clear, she was putting herself forward as a third candidate. "This is insane! You can't do this just because you think you have the least to lose!" Shin yelled. "Look who's talking! You are just running away!" In turn Ruby got loud with him. "You're a coward who is too scared to face his future! You're gonna run when your family already lost one son!?" She did not fully understand why, but Shin was making her more mad than she ever had been before. "You don't know anything!" Shin growled. He did not want to listen to what others had to say. "This is pointless." Xander coughed and interjected. "If the three of you have chosen who wants the power, than they should go to their trial. The portal is not going to get smaller by you just standing here."

"Yes. That is the truth. Necara, Shin; we can discuss things later. First we need to meet with Kapha." The others all gave Azar, Necara and Shin some room. They could hardly believe what had happened just now or was going to happen next. "You are really going to do this, you are leaving?" Natasha was fighting back tears, she hated this, hated knowing that Shin might never return. "You will see us again, will you not? Can you promise us that?" Sky knew one of them might be lost to them forever, he did not want this to be their last time together. "I promise to do what I can." Azar said only that much. Shin and Necara did not speak at all. Azar closed his eyes again and the trio had vanished.

...

"Three of you?" Darcy had waited for Azar to return at the lowest levels, in front of Kapha's treatment pod. Azar had come as expected, but so did Shin and Necara. "You two..are going to fight for it as well?" The other two 's presences created mixed feelings. "Yes. We are." Necara already had her eyes set on the opened door, on Kapha and the Number 1 card that he was holding. All the catalyst cards, even spot Number 8: Genom-Heritage, were here. The Eight had been separated from 'Esther' forever. "Let's not waste any time. What are we supposed to do?" She asked because Azar had not shared the specifics yet on how to get in contact with Kapha. "We need to go into his mind, what is left of it. Darcy, you will look over our bodies." Azar made it sound like it was similar to travelling to the Echo world, which it was. "Yes. I will not let anything happen to you." Darcy nodded and stepped back. "Then take us." Shin was ready. "Do it." Necara had waited enough too. "Okay." Azar placed his hands on their shoulders and..

_They were there_

"Did we.. move?" In the first minute, the world did not appear any different. It was not until their eyes adjusted, that they could see what was new. "Oh." The pod, and all the cables connecting it to the Numbers had not moved, but the walls and floor had been exchanged for a black and smooth stone tablets. There were millions and millions of codes written on each section, and they stretched out into infinity. "This must be all the information stored here." It looked like the inside of the mainframe to Azar, represented mentally. "But where is He?" Necara pointed at the life pod. It was empty on this side, the Number 1 was gone too.

"Looking for someone or something?" A voice without a mouth entered their ears. "Kapha!" To hear this man again after all this time, certainly did not make Necara any happier. "Hello N. You have done well. I am glad to finally call you my greatest creation. Will it be you who fuses with me, I wonder.." Kapha laughed. "Stop talking! This is no time for you to run your mouth!" She snapped at him. Necara tried to look for him, but he was not showing himself. "Necara is right, Kapha! We came here for the power to save the world, do not delay us!" Azar was not in any mood for this, not again. "You have all the time you could get, Mr Helder. This is not the physical world constrained by physical limits. Time moves as slowly as I want it to. This gives me enough of your precious time, to explain what you will need to do to get this."" A single card floated above them, far out of their reach. It was the Number 1. "You do not fight me for this power, you fight each other. The First demands to see which of you is the greatest, which of you deserves to fuse with it. Since the three of you have shown up, it will be a three-way duel. You can prepare for this confrontation for as long as you desire."

"Maybe time is slower here, maybe we do believe that. But I do not need to spend much of it, or put this off!" Shin imagined himself a D-pad and set of cards. "I agree. But..which cards are you two going to use?" Azar had his deck prepared as well, his own cards. In this world he could imagine any card he wanted, but he wanted to duel with his own strengths. "I have. that which defeated Pandora." Necara still held Shins cards in her mind. Her angel had changed, so going back to trap monsters entirely did not seem wise. She did not want to use those cards again anyway, they felt too mechanical and cold now. "That is fine. I have a new deck too." Shin activated the D-pad. "Azar, Necara.. Let's begin!"

Shins LP: 8000 Necara's LP: 8000 Azars LP: 8000

Each player drew five cards, then their D-pads randomly selected the turn order. "Draw!" Shin was given the first turn. "I activate Trade In!" He started with a spell card that discarded a level 8 monster and drew two new cards from the deck. "!?" Azar was shocked to find out which card Shin discarded; Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. "You.." That alone was not a major implication, as Subito had given one of his three dragons to his younger brother before. "I control no monsters, so I can special summon Photon Thrasher from my hand!" However the next card that was summoned, the photonic swordsman(4/2100/0), narrowed down all explanations to one. "You _are_ using his deck?" Those were Subito's cards. Azar was so taken aback he nearly forgot his own cards. "I.. I activate Maxx C from my hand!" He discarded his monster card to draw a new card. Maxx C would let Azar draw each time his opponent special summoned this turn.

"Yes, these are my brothers, nobody elses. He may be gone, but someone has to follow his footsteps.. That will be me. I will do what he would have done! He would have sent the Numbers away too!" Shin normal summoned another monster; a photonic boxer(4/1000/1000). "I summon Photon Chargeman, to overlay him with Photon Thrasher!" The two monsters were placed on top of each other, creating a glittering gateway of stars. "Starliege Lord Galaxion!" The white star knight Galaxion(4/2000/2100) was Xyz-summoned in defense position. It immediately grabbed both its energy swords to cut through its own Xyz-materials. "By detaching two materials from Galaxion, I can special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my deck!" Shin proved that he had more than one dragon now, by summoning the second Galaxy-Eyes(8/3000/2500) to his field in attack position. "Bro always meant for me to have these cards, when he would retire as a duelist. Now he never will get to enjoy that rest.." Shin let out a deep breath. In the mean time, due to Maxx C, Azar drew twice. "..I set one card in my spell/trap zone and end my turn. You are next, Necara."

"To do what he did, would mean to carry the weight of others on your back as well. That is what you want?" Necara heard what Shin was driving at; he wanted the Numbers gone. But more importantly, Shin wanted to take away the burdens that becoming a catalyst would bring. "I..might have agreed with you, in the past. Now is different." Necara summoned the Summoner Monk(4/800/1600). She used the Monks effect to discard a spell card (Sargasso's Lighthouse) from her hand, and special summon a level 4 monster from her deck; Gagaga Priestess(4/1000/2000). "The you from the past would not have agreed now either. More than our decks have been switched around." Necara overlayed Gagaga Priestess with Summoner Monk to Xyz-summon Gagaga Samurai(4/1900/1600) from the extra deck in attack position. "Why? What made you change your mind?" Shin needed to hear that from her, the girl who used to want to destroy all the Numbers. "You did, Shin." Necara placed two trap cards down and ended her turn. "You showed me. To destroy and to deny, that is not how you make a better world."

"Then why do you duel us, Necara?" It was Azars turn. During his draw phase he drew the Ring of Peace, a spell that revealed itself to the enemy when it was drawn. "Because your plan will be just like Pandora's plan." Necara answered him quickly. "Pandora? I would never become like.. I woudn't deceive or control people!" Azar protested. "You have been tempted by power before." But she harshly rejected his emotional pleas. "Is that why?" Azar was not sure if he believed her, at least this could not be her sole reason. He would find the truth, but for now the duel had to continue. "I activate Ring of Peace. Because my opponents control three monsters and I control no cards, I can add any card from my deck to my hand." Azars spell of Peace searched the deck for a field spell. " ...I activate Extra Net." Azar activated that spell, placing a web of energy around the black cell. Each time a player summoned a monster from the extra deck, their opponents could draw one card. "Whatever happens, I will not abandon who I am." Before he ended his turn, he activated his own Trade In. The spell traded a level 8 dragon, Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord, from his hand for two cards from the deck. Azar then placed two trap cards down.

"It does not make a difference now, why you have chosen to fight each other. Does it?" At this point, Kapha's voice returned to echo across the darkness. "Only the one who wins this duel, gets to share in our power." All of their talking was not going to decide anything.

Certainly not for Shin. "He has a point, we can't stop this duel now." Before Azar could end his turn, Shin flipped a trap card. "XYZ Universe! I take two Xyz-monsters on the field and overlay them!" His trap took both his Starliege Lord and Necara's Gagaga Samurai. It also halved all damage Shin could inflict this turn, which was why he activated it in Azars turn. "Ah!" The girls only monster was placed underneath Galaxion and a new Xyz-monster. "XYZ Universe summons a non-Number Xyz-monster whose rank is equal to, or one star higher than, the combined ranks of both overlayed monsters!" The ranks of Samurai and Starlord added up to eight, enabling a rank 8 special-summon. "Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon!" And so Shin called out the ultimate three-headed form(8/4500/3000) of the photonic dragon, and the greatest dragon his father ever made. "Both Photon dragons.." Azars endphase finally passed, and he would soon regret not starting stronger. At the least both he and Necara received a consolation draw from Extra Net, thanks to the summoning of Neo-Galaxy Eyes.

"I have not gone all in yet either." Shin grinned as he looked at the next card on top of his deck. He showed it off, he had to. "What?" Azar gasped. It was the Seventh One! "You..added that card?" He'd never imagined that Shin would go that far to replicate Subito's deck. "Without Pandora, it is nothing special. Just another spell." Shin kept the card revealed until he could activate in his main phase. "Rank-Up-Magic: The Seventh One, summon Chaosnumber 107!" Of course, he also had added Subito's Numbers to his deck. The Seventh One took Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon and evolved it into its chaosform; the golden threeheaded Neo-Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(9/4500/3000). Extre Net meanwhile allowed Shins opponents to draw again. "If I want to control the Numbers, I will learn to use them!" Shin detached Number 107 from the Chaosdragon, and activated its time-freezing effect. _"Damn."_ All face-up cards, including Extra Net, had their powers sealed for this turn. Azar and Necara were not allowed to use effects on the field either

"To wrap everything up!" Shin normal summoned a Galaxy Knight(8/2800/2600). "Galaxy Knight can be summoned without tributes, because I control a highlevel Galaxy-monster! It will reduce its own power to revive Galaxy-Eyes in defense mode!" The Knight(1800/2600) shaved of 1000 of its attackpoints and special summoned the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) that Shin had discarded with Trade In last turn. "Xyz-summon!" This dragon and Galaxy Knight were attached to one final rank 8 xyz-monster. "Number 62!" It was _his_ Number now, the primal dragon and source of photons, Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(8/4000/3000). "When it battles, it will gain 200 attackpoints for each rank star on the field!" In this battle royal, Shin had the first battle phase. "Necara, Azar. I am going to win." Shin opened with the primal Number 62. it gathered power from all 25 rank stars on the field, filling its(9000/3000) own jaws with brilliant stars. "I _will _win! Prime Photon Dragon, attack Necara!"

(To be Continued in Cipher 229: Let go of The Past)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Ring of Peace  
Extra Net

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Summoner Monk  
Gagaga Samurai

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Photon Thrasher  
Photon Chargeman  
Starliege Lord Galaxion  
Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon  
Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon  
Number C107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon  
Galaxy Knight

-  
Trade In

-  
XYZ Universe


	64. Cipher 229: Let Go of the Past

**(Cipher 62) 229: Let go of The Past**

Shins LP: 8000 Necara's LP: 8000 Azars LP: 8000

"Gagaga Gardna!" As Necara was about to receive a game-ending direct attack from Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(8/9000/3000), she could special summon the Gagaga guarder(4/1500/2000) from her hand in defense mode. The blast from Shins dragon atomized it instead. "What? Hmph!" Chaosnumber 107 had frozen all effects on their field, but not in a players hand. Not in the graveyard either. "And Gagaga Priestess." When a Gagaga monster was destroyed, the Priestess could special summon herself(4/1000/2000) back to the field in attack position. "So I can't beat you this turn." The Priestess would negate all battle damage after her own destruction. If Shin had not sent in his strongest dragon first, he could have avoided this.

"But Azar..you are not safe!" Shin ordered he original Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to attack. It destroyed Azars face-down dreadlocked Dread Dragon(2/1100/400). Because Dread Dragon was destroyed, Azar could add a weak dragon monster from his deck to his hand. Azar took White Stone of Legend from his deck, but Shin would not let him enjoy it for long. "I take what I can get!" Neo GalaxyEyes Tachyon Dragon(9/4500/3000) fired its golden flames on Shins command. "I am sorry, Shin! When my opponent declares an attack, I can summon Gentlemander from my hand!" But Azar had his own monster card to in defense, a pale amphibian(4/1200/1000) in gentlemans clothes."Gah!?" For the second time, Shins direct attacks were intercepted by a monster, but at least Gentlemander died without summoning something new. "I do not believe this." Shin gnashed on his teeth. Knowing Azar, he'd have more hand-traps waiting too. "Neo GalaxyEyes Photon Dragon!". He sent his last galactic-eyed dragon to attack Gagaga Priestess instead, just to cause some damage and to get rid of her. "Ngh." Necara felt a little pain from that attack, and clutched her chest.

Necara's LP: 4500

"Well well, it looks like the first damage is given." Kapha's disembodied voice chimed in again, much to Shins annoyance. "Be quiet. This does not prove anything!" Shin shouted. He was not proud of what he had done and still had to do.."I do not want to hurt anyone, that is why I wanted this to end in one turn." Shin started the second main phase. He activated Galactic Charity, which allowed him to trade one card in his hand with two from his deck when he controlled a Galaxy-Xyz monster. He discarded Overlay Eater and drew twice. Both cards he drew were placed in the spell/trap zone. "... By using any Galaxy Xyz-monster as the material." Shin pulled another card from his extra deck. "I can special summon Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon!" Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon and its two materials were attached to a dragon born of the galaxy's shadow; Dark Matter Dragon(9/4000/0) the revised Number 95. "It can send three dragons from my deck to the grave, and you have to banish three monsters from your decks!" The Dark dragon sent away Photon Wyvern, Photon Lizard and Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon. "I end my turn!"

"Even that one.." Azar had banished three of his weaker dragons. "..."

Necara had banished three of her less useful Prophecy mages. "My deck, has a different path this turn. I only need one Prophecy." Necara activated the spell, Gagaga Academy Emergency Network. Because Necara controlled no monsters while Shin did, she could special summon a Gagaga monster from her deck. "Gagaga Girl." The apprentice(3/1000/700) was summoned. Now no special summons other than Xyz-summons could be performed by her this turn. "Gagaga Sister." Necara then normal summoned the youngest female Gagaga(2/200/800) from her hand. "Gagagarevenge." One effect of the Sister took any Gagaga spell or trap from the deck, and Necara claimed the vengeful equip spell card. "Level 5." The other effect of Gagagasister, modified her(5/200/800) own level with that of Gagaga Girl(5/1000/700)'s. Their level stars were added one and other. "The Empress." Necara overlayed the two Gagaga mages and created the rank 5 Xyz-arcana; Empress of Prophecy(5/2600/1700). This time Shin and Azar could draw one card through the Extra Net, now that that field spell's effects were no longer sealed.

The flow turned against Shin already. "Tch." Because Gagaga Girl had become an Xyz-material, her effect could weaken one special summoned monster. Shins Galaxy-Eyes Prime Dragon(0/3000) lost all its attackpoints. "Prime Dragon will come back in two turns if I destroy it with an effect." Necara detached one material from the Empress. She would excavate the top 5 cards of the deck and destroy one monster for each excavated spellbook card. "That is why I will destroy the others instead." Three were among the excavated cards (Spellbook of Miracles, Spellbook Magician of Prophecy, Spellbook of Wisdom, Justice of Prophecy, Magic Cylinder). So three monsters could be targeted.

"Then what if I only have three monsters!?" But Shin quickly activated Dimension Gate before the Empress could wave her wand. His continuous trap banished Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon from his field. "Ah.." The Empress could still select Number 62 instead of Number C107 however. "..." Necara went through with it, the Empress cast the spell from her throne and blew up Dark Matter Dragon, Prime Photon Dragon and the original Photon dragon. Afterwards the excvated cards were returned to the top of Necara's deck in the order she desired. "You know this deck of course, you know what I can do with it. The future has always been clear to you, while I am only starting to see." Necara's eyes turned towards her only other target. "Azar, I will attack you instead!" The Empress(2300/1700), now weakened because she always gained 300 attackpoints from her own Xyz-materials, hit Azar directly. "Ngh!" He was pushed back against one of the many black blocks in this dark field . "Whatever you feel, Azar. It was not given with malice." She placed another two trap cards and also Gagagarevenge down and ended her turn.

Azars LP: 5700

"I know. It will take more than this to break bonds." Azar started his turn. "I special summon Black Dragon Collapserpent by banishing a light-type monster from my graveyard!" The black hole dragon consumed the spirit of Gentlemander and gave life to itself(4/1800/1700). "Then I normal summon Dragard, who can special summon one normal monster with less than 1000 attackpoints from my graveyard!" The armored wyvern(4/1300/1900) flew down to join Collapserpent. Dragards effect resurrected the Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord(8/0/0) that Azar had discarded last turn. "Dragard sacrifices one monster to raise a monster own level and attackpoints!" Dragard chose to tribute the Black Dragon and to raise its(8/2100/1900) own stats. Because Collapserpent was sent to the grave, Azar could activate that dragons effect too and add White Dragon Wyverburster to his hand. "Shin, Necara... With Pandora defeated, all Numbers have dispersed. I lost even Utopia, but..In here I can re-affirm one bond." Azar placed the enhanced Dragard on top of the Hieratic Seal. "I Xyz-summon Number 46: Dragluon!" The chinese dragon(8/3000/3000) of golden brilliance was reformed. As Shin could recollect the galactic Numbers, Azar could retrieve his own.

"Continuous Trap card; Appropriate." But then, as Extra Net responded to the summoning of Number 46, Necara chained with her own drawing trap. "What!?" Due to Extra Net Shin and Necara had both drawn one card. However Appropriate allowed Necara to draw two more times! "Your trap lets you draw twice, whenever we draw outside of our draw phase? Is this your idea of a bond, taking advantage of us?" If this was a gesture on her part, Shin felt slighted. He thought he could finally see her as a friend. "Friends do not just agree with what someone else says. I have watched you all argue enough to know this."

"..That is true, Shin. We are not betraying you, we are forced on this road because of outside circumstances. That does not mean I will hold back." Azar activated the spell card, Stamping Destruction. Because he controlled a dragon, Stamping destruction could stomp down on one spell or trap. "I destroy Dimension Gate!" Dragluon slammed its tail into Shins continuous trap and broke it. Shin also took 500 points of damage as a result. The broken gate now released the banished Neo-Tachyon Dragon. "Number 46 can take control of one dragon when I control no other monsters!" One material was detached from Dragluon. "There is only one other dragon.." Shin did not need to be told where this was heading. Dragluon targeted his three-headed golden Chaosnumber. "Just like you did to Subito." Azar gained control of Number C107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon. "What are you waiting for?!" Shin had no monsters left to defend him. ".." But Shin did still have a trap. Azar was worried. "I attack the Empress of Prophecy!" Instead he sent Shins dragon after Necara, letting its golden fire burn the Empress to cinders.

Shins LP: 7500

Necara's LP: 2300

"This is not how it will end." Before Dragluon could attack as well, Necara activated a trap card by discarding a card (Spellbook of Miracles) from her hand. "Compulsory Activation. It targets my set Gagagarevenge." Her Compulsion trap could force a normal spell to be activated during an opponents turn. Gagagarevenge was flipped by it, and the equip spell special summoned a Gagaga monster, Gagaga Samurai(4/1900/1600), back to the field in defense mode. "I expected it would not be so easy with you either. I notice you made adjustments to Shins deck." Compulsory Activation was not a trap he had seen Shin use before. "Yet it goes on.. Dragluon." Azar continued the battle phase, and his Number destroyed Gagaga Samurai in battle. "Maybe, Azar, you just do not fear this deck enough. Or you fear the other too much. Trap card, Gado-Go." But afterwards Necara revealed a card that was more up Shins alley. Gado-Go was triggered when a Gagaga/Gogogo or Dododo monster was killed. The trap would summon the killed monster from the graveyard, and up to two Gagaga/Gogogo/Dododo monsters from the players hand. "I choose one; Gagaga Magician." Gado-Go placed the main mage(4/1500/1000) of the Gagagas on the field, while the Samurai was resurrected in defense mode a second time.

"Fear? Necara. I am not affraid. I would not be here if I was. I think none of us are." Azar did not doubt that she and Shin were willing to go to the same lengths as he was. He just could not let them win for different reasons. "What I question is your ability to handle this power. Necara, you have not even adapted to a normal life yet, let alone a life of a catalyst. I do not want to take the chance for happiness away from you either. If there is anything you would fear, it is that happiness." Azar activated a spell card, One Day of Peace. It would negate all damage in this duel, until his next turn. However each player could now draw one extra card. It was a cost he had to pay, because this meant Necara would draw three cards thanks to the effect of Appropriate.

"What about you, Azar? Maybe you're not affraid of what lies ahead, but you are affraid of _something_! _This deck_ scares you! Subito's shadow hangs over you too." It was Shins turn. "The future, eugh. I used to look forward to every new day. Not anymore, it does not feel good anymore. No matter how many choices there are, it always seems to result in something bad." Shin clenched his hand. "That is why the Numbers have to go. They allow too much misery, more than they can make up for! I summon Numeral Hunter!" A young warrior(4/1600/1400) in a blue and red coat descended to the battlefield on wings of neon light. Its fierce appearance reminded Azar of Subito himself. "!?" And as soon as the Hunter landed, its energy spread and removed Neo-Tachyon Dragon and Dragluon from the field. "Subito never got to use every card made by my father, once he gained the 107th. Numeral Hunter returns all Numbers to the extra deck! Xyz-monsters cannot destroy or affect him either! I end my turn!" As no damage could be inflicted, Shin had nothing else to do after he summoned the Hunter.

"Your father... He made these cards too, didn't he?" Necara looked at her hand. She normal summoned the Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(2/500/400) and used his effect to add a Spellbook of Secrets from her deck to her hand. Then she made the Spellbook Magician attack Numeral Hunter and destroy itself, just to get rid of it while no damage could be inflicted. "He loves you. He wouldn't want you to leave him." Necara said as she used the Spellbook of Secrets to add Spellbook of Life from her deck to her hand. "How can you know? Necara, do you know what love is?" Shin did not need a lecture, not from her or anyone else. "I do not know what it is like..but I know what it does to people... "

"I special summon Gagaga Girl." Using the necromantic Spellbook of Life, Gagaga Sister was banished from the graveyard and Gagaga Girl(5/1000/700) was resurrected with the Sisters level stars added to her own. "Level 1!" Then Gagaga Magician lowered his(1/1500/1000) own level as much as possible, and his female apprentice(1/1000/700) did the same. "Of all levels, you went for the first?" Shin was confused, the Gagaga Duo could summon any Xyz-monster between rank 1 and 8. "Yes, so I can summon this Xyz-monster; Slacker Magician." Gagaga Girl and Magician were attached to a rank 1 monster, the lazy witch(1/200/2100) with blue hair. Due to Extra Net, both Azar and Shin drew one card. "Oh!" But due to Appropriate, Necara drew two cards.

"During my second main phase, by using a low-ranking magician and its materials..." Necara quickly placed a new Xyz-monster on top of the Slacker; transforming her into a higher-ranked and more studious witch(4/2700/200). "Downerd Magician can be Xyz-summoned." Because another monster had left the extra deck, Extra Net made Azar and Shin draw again. And Necara could draw another two of her own cards through Appropriate-ing them. "And.." Now she controlled two Xyz-monsters with the same rank. "I use Gagaga Samurai and Downerd as the materials." A number began to burn on Necara's hand; F0. Unlike Shin, her Numbers were the real deal. "I can summon Future King Hope!" Necara created the zeroeth Number, the red ruler of hope(0/0/0). The Extra Net/Appriate combo placed even more cards in everyone's hands.

Necara had ten cards in her hand now, half of them were placed down to fill her spell/trap zone. One other was activated in the field slot. "I activate Sargasso, the D.D. Battlefield." Azars Net of extra-dimensional energy was ripped apart by floating pieces of debris. The field expanded, creating a void similar to that of the Echo world. Wreckage of a destroyed city seemed to hover all around them now. "What..does this do?" Shin did not recognize the card. "Each time a monster is Xyz-summoned, the summoner will take 500 points of damage." Azar did recognize it. "Also, each endphase, if a Xyz-monster is on that turnplayers field, they will lose 500 lifepoints." Technically Necara should take damage from her own spell, when she ended her turn. "Unless.." Necara did end her turn, but no damage came. "..I have Sargasso's Lightouse in my graveyard." A lighthouse deep down emitted a beam of light that kept Necara, and only Necara, safe from any damage Sargasso could inflict.

"Necara. I see what you are trying to do. Not just in the duel." It was obvious that the girl wanted to limit his and Shins Xyz-expenditures. "You do not really want this power either, you only think you have to take it, because you also think you have nothing to return to, or that you do not deserve to return. You do not know what awaits you, so you are trying to force yourself into a role that writes your future for you. It is not true, Necara. You deserve better." Azar started his turn and special summoned White Dragon Wyverburster(4/1700/1800) from his hand by banishing the dark-type Dragard from his graveyard. "We shouldn't let our present life dictate our choice. Nor should we let the past haunt us, Shin!" Azar then normal summoned a new monster, a female angel-knight(4/1800/1500) with golden hair and wings like a dragon. "Victoria! She can summon one dragon from my enemy's graveyard!" Victoria raised her staff and enchanted one dragon in Shins cemetery. "From..mine?" The first Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) was revived and placed before Azar. "We cannot change the past, we can only learn from it! I enter the battle phase!" Victoria rode on top of Galaxy-Eyes and cast a destructive spell straight at Numeral Hunter. The Hunter died. "No!" Then Shin took two direct attacks, a fire blast from Wyverburster and an energy stream from Subito's own Galaxy-Eyes. "No.."

Shins LP: 2600

"..I overlay two of my monsters." In the second main phase, Wyverburster and Victoria became xyz-materials for a rank 4 monster, the Dragon Queen Djinn(2200/2100). "Ngah!" Right as he did that, a lightning bolt from above struck him dead on. "Rgh, so that's Sargasso." Necara's field spell took its toll on him. "I will live with it!" He detached one material from the Queen, letting her revive a dragon, Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord, from his graveyard. "I Xyz-summon Felgrand the Divine Dragon Knight!" The level 8 Seal and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon were placed underneath a knight in dragonic armor; the paladin Felgrand(8/2800/1800). "Argh!" Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield struck Azar again with another thunder bolt. "I am used to pain, Necara. It has not worn me down!" Azar now ended his turn, taking another 500 points of damage during his endphase as he controlled Xyz-monsters. "That is why it should be me! You two have already had enough pain!"

Azars LP: 4200

"Enough pain, you said? Amusing. There is little physical pain involved once you fuse with my power. But if you want to alleviate the pain of others, there is something that can be done." Kapha chuckled as his words reached them once more. "What do you want to say?" Necara was not interested in listening to him for extended periods of time. "Only that together we could do something not even Pandora could accomplish. We could change the past itself.. Now that we have access to the Numbers infinite realm, nothing is beyond our imagination. Yes, that means we can even resurrect one of your beloved ones, a true pure revival. So I will add some incentive to these proceedings.."

"Whoever wins, will get to bring back one person to life."

(To be Continued in Cipher 230: Do not Fear The Future)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Dread Dragon  
Gentlemander  
Victoria

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Gagaga Sister  
Gagaga Girl  
Empress of Prophecy  
Gagaga Magician  
Spellbook Magician of Prophecy  
Slacker Magician  
Downerd Magician

-  
Gagaga Academy Emergency Network  
Gagagarevenge  
Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield  
Sargasso's Lighthouse

_-  
Compulsory Activation  
_Gado Go!

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Number 95: Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon  
Numeral Hunter

-  
Galactic Charity

-  
Dimension Gate


	65. Cipher 230: Do not Fear the Future

**(Cipher 64) 230: Do not Fear the Future**

Azars LP: 4200 Shins LP: 2600 Necara's LP: 2300

Time was nothing, the past was nothing. Kapha promised them a miracle, together they could change history and undo one death. "You are lying. Whoever wins becomes your new partner, so you are trying to influence the results so you can keep the world you created!" Necara did not believe Kapha, not even for an instant. The one who had the most to gain from this offer was obviously Shin. The one who Kapha wanted as a partner was the one he could control the most. "You did not need to say it!" Shin swept his arm out in anger. He was not sure if he had faith in Kapha's promise himself. He did not want to let his hopes be raised. "I still want to win Whether I can save Subito with the power or not, I will figure that out myself!"

It was Shins turn again, and two turns had passed since _his_ Number died. "I will make the past and future what I want it to be! I summon Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" It had been two turns since the the 62nd Number was destroyed. So in this standby phase it could be resummoned from the graveyard, and its(8000/3000) attackpoints were doubled. "I activate a spell card, Galaxy Cyclone! I can destroy one set trap or spell on the field!" Shin unleashed a cosmic whirlwind, and he used it on the center of Necara's backrow. A continuous trap was destroyed. "Spellbinding Illusion?" That was unfortunately not what Shin wanted to hit. Because of her Empress of Prophecy, Shin had seen which card she had drawn and set. _"Magic Cylinder. I cannot get passed that..unless... _I banish the Overlay Eater in my graveyard, and take a card attached to your Xyz-monsters materials. It will be attached to mine!" The hungry Overlay reptile used its grave-effect to eat the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon attached to Azars Divine Dragon Knight(8/2800/1800) and place it back underneath Prime Photon Dragon. "Now that the original Galaxy-Eyes is attached to the Primal Galaxy-Eyes, it can inflict full damage!"

Shin normal summoned a Shining Angel and then declared an attack with his monsters. "Battle!" Shining Angel attacked first, targeting Number F0: Future King Hope(0/0/0). "Shin? This is what you want?" Necara countered with her Numbers power. The indestructible Future King negated the damage of the angels attack and then took control of it for the rest of the battle phase. "Don't think I forgot what your Number could do, Necara!" Shin allowed it and set his sights on Azars Queen Dragon Djinn(4/2200/1200) next. "You should not have summoned your Queen in attack mode, Azar!" An attack from Prime Photon dragon now would surely waste all of Azars lifepoints. "I use Felgrands power!" So Azar had no choice but to use up Felgrands last xyz-material. "I target Number 62!" The divine knight would seal the effects of Galaxy-Eyes Prime(4000/3000), thereby reducing its power back to its original state. The attack that killed Queen Dragun Djinn now only marginally damaged Azar. "..." However Felgrands power also made its targets immune to all other effects for this turn.

Azars LP: 2400

"Thanks Azar, I knew I could count on you." Shin smirked as he flipped his trap card. "I will use High Five the Sky! A Xyz-monster that attacked this turn, may attack again! And no cards or effects can be used during this second attack. So.. who to strike?" Felgrand was in defense mode. Shining Angel... was not. "You gave me your angel on purpose." Necara realized she was tricked. Since Shin could not damage the Future King, he would just toss a weaker monster on her field. "However.." Necara quickly flipped another one of her set cards; Spellbook of Fate. "You have not declared an attack yet." There was a safe spot in between the two attacks, wherein spells could still be activated. The Fated book could still target Shining Angel and switched it to face-down defense position by banishing two other Spellbooks from the graveyard. "Tch, I was so close." Shin decided against attacking his own monster now and ended his battle phase. Shining Angel returned to his side of the field. "...I activate another Galactic Charity." Shin used this charitable spell, now that he controlled Prime Photon Dragon, to discard Luminous Dragon Ritual and draw two new cards.

"But I'm not out of surprises yet! My dad made even more cards!" Shin placed another Xyz-monster from the extra deck on top of his current one. "I Xyz-summon Galaxy-Eyes Full-Armor Photon Dragon in defense mode!" This was the latest version of the Photonic dragon(8/4000/3500); armored from head to claw in space-black armor. "Full-Armor?" Azar had seen Xyz-monsters like these, that could be summoned by using existing xyz-monsters as the material. He had not expected that Galaxy-Eyes Xyz-monsters had this form too now. "Yes. Ooph!" Because Shin had Xyz-summoned a card, Necara's field spell: Sargasso the D.D. Battlefield struck Shin with lightning. 500 points of damage were inflicted. ".. Its power is this, it can destroy one card each turn!" The armored dragon used up one of its materials, transforming it into a comet of destructive energy. It was directed towards Number F0. "!" Of course Necara's Number could negate its own destruction. She detached one material from the Future King, and let him slice the galactic comet in half. "One down, one material to go." Shin placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. Sargasso shaved another 500 lifepoints during the endphase.

Shins LP: 1600

"..Shin. I will not say that I understand your kind of pain. But.." Necara glared at the darkness around her. "I understand mine. I understand the kind of pain Kapha can cause. You do not want it on your shoulders." She activated a spell card from her hand, Enemy Controller. She used it to control the position of Shins monsters; forcing the Full-Armored dragon back in attack mode. "It took me forever to get out of that..hell. You helped me. Because of you, I have this.." Necara placed a new monster on the field, a source of light that drained away the destruction caused by Sargasso. "My Angel of the Beginning - Ann." Her D.D. Battleground field spell was sacrificed to special summon the pure-white angel(1/500/500) in defense mode.

"Eheh. Changing the End to the Beginning? My dear N has grown, indeed." Not even it could stop Kapha's amusement.

"Kapha! If I win, I will make sure you will be separated from this power. If what you say is true, Kapha, then I can revive _you_! That way you will lose your connection to the First!" Necara rasped, and she moved into the battle phase. But Kapha was not done talking. "I wonder if you have forgotten that I am in here because of you. You killed me, N." He would always make sure she remembered that. "That is all the more reason, that I should be the one.." Necara attacked with her Number. "I take your Xyz-monster, Shin!" Future King of Hope smashed its sword against the the dragons black armor, and quickly cancelled out the battle damage. Then the Future Number gained control of its target, and moved the Full-Armored Photon dragon to Necara's side. "And I destroy yours, Azar!" Galaxy-Eyes opened its mouth and fired a rapid volley of photon beams straight at Felgrand. "Ugh." The Divine Dragonic Knight died as a dozen holes were blasted into its body.

Necara moved into the 2nd main phase. She placed two cards down in her spell/trap zone first. "I summoned the Condemned Maiden." Not every monster in this deck was one of Shins, this one was new. Necara normal summoned a fallen angel(4/100/2000) with decaying black wings. The Maiden hid one eye behind an eyepatch. "That card? It lets you use quickplay spells from your hand during our turn?" Azar could tell what Necara was preparing for. She wanted to use the spells she might draw with Appropriate. "Gagagarevenge." Meanwhile, to make sure that nobody would just kill the Condemned angel, Necara had her other Angel use its effect. Beginning activated the effect of Gagagarevenge to special summon Gagaga Priestess(4/1000/2000) back in defense-position. "End turn."

"Condemned.. Azar thought to himself that there had to be more to Necara using this new card.. more than necessity. "Necara, you did nothing wrong. Circumstances pushed you to where you went. You do not need to be forgiven.." Azar did not finish that sentence. He did not know if _he _needed to be forgiven. He had gotten over that part of himself some time ago, but did the others think of him like that as well? "..I activate Melody of the Awakening Dragon. I discard one card to add two dragons with 3000 attackpoints and/or 2500 defense points to my hand!" Azar discarded his White Stone of Legend. The combination of his spell card, and the effect of the White Stone, allowed him to take all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from his deck.

"Shared Ride." But not before Nacara flipped her quickplay spell card. "Mystical Ref Panel!" And Shin activated his trap card. "What?" Shared Ride targeted a player, while the Mystical Panel switched the target of a spell card. Shared Ride now affected Shin instead of Necara. "You should listen to Azar! Kapha deserved what he got! He does not deserve to live again!" Because Azar had added monsters to his hand with two different effects, Shared Ride drew two cards from Shins deck, for Shin. "..But.." Unfortunately for him, Necara could draw four cards from her deck. Appropriate had responded to each of Shins draws.

"That is not what I wanted to say, Shin." Azar could finally place the three dragons in his hand. "This is not about who we bring back to life, this is about all of life! One soul can not decide the fate of everyone!" Azar knew who _he_ would revive, if he had the power. He would not say who it was, he did not want to let his thoughts drift off. "I activate Polymerization!" So he returned to the duel and activated the original fusion card. "Huh You are actually going to.." Shin watched as Azar 'polymerized' his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. They were fused into Azars own three-headed beast; Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(8/4500/3000). "This is a duel, this a test of powers between us. Nothing can be allowed to confuse it!" Azar made Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Dragon. The three heads released one combined destructive burst that wiped Shins Xyz-monster of the face of the earth.

Shins LP: 1100

"...And now!" Azar activated a spell from his hand, still within his battle phase. "Quickplay spell card; Defusion! I return the Ultimate Dragon to the extra deck and summon its fusion materials!" Defusion separated Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon into the three original Blue-Eyes White Dragons(8/3000/2500). "That move.." Shin was dumbstruck, he had not seen a trick like that since third grade. "Necara, the next attack is for you!" The first Blue-Eyes White Dragon fired its energy away, aiming it at the Angel of the Beginning. "..Azar, do you know what you are doing?" However Necara now flipped her Magic Cylinder trap card. One Cylinder absorbed the beam from Blue-Eyes, while the other was primed to return it and 3000 points of damage towards Azar. "I do!" So Azar activated a countertrap. "Champions Vigilance! Because I control a normal monster above the 7th level, I can negate your trap card!" The White Dragon absorbed the power of Champions Vigilance to strengthen its energy stream, letting it tear through the Cylinders.

"Then what would you do? To keep the people calm? I have seen the best and worst of them, not everyone will live in peace with the Numbers." Necara reacted swiftly. She used the effect of the Condemned Maiden, who activated a quickplay spell from Necara's hand. It was Draw Muscle, the card that drew from the deck while protecting a monster with less than 1000 defense points from battles for this entire turn. "Ggh." Draw Muscle targeted the Angel of the Beginning, so the Dragons beam washed harmlessly over it. Meanwhile Necara still held 4 cards in her hand. "Can you promise, that you will not maintain Kapha's world?"

"Of course he cannot. He will need the knowledge I can provide." Kapha answered Necara before Azar could. "No. I do not! I do not require your help!" Azar yelled back at the surrounding darkness. "I can promise you, Necara, that I will not become his next pawn. I know what my next few steps are going to be." The second Blue-Eyes attacked the Condemned Maiden herself. "..." Necara countered. The Angel copied the effect of Spellbook of Fate in the graveyard. The Fate book banished two more Spellbooks in the graveyard to switch the Condemned Maiden to face-down defense position. "..I will take the Numbers, I will send back those who desire to return and help those who desire to stay. I will find the right people to give them to! The world does not need to go on without them" The last White Dragon destroyed Shins Shining Angel. Because of the destruction of Shining Angel, Shin could special summon Orbital 7, the robot on wheels(4/500/2000) from his deck. Orbital 7 was also a light-attribute monster. "..I will overlay my monsters and.."

"Sorry. I still cannot let you." Necara now flipped another trap card; Summon Limit. "Summon Limit?" No duelist could summon more than twice a turn while this continuous trap card existed, and Azar had already used up both chances. So he could not perform an Xyz-summon. "Necara, I..do not know what else I can say." He placed a trap card down and ended his turn. "How many ways can we say it? There is nothing left to talk about." She told him, while Shin took his turn. "No. There isn't... For my family's sake, for Subito's sake, I have to win." Shin took a spell card from his graveyard. "I can activate Galaxy Cyclone from my graveyard during my main phase, it will destroy a face-up spell or trap card this turn!" Shin reawakened the galactic storm, to shatter Necara's Summon Limit trap. He did not want to be limited in that regard this turn. Not with what he was about to do. "I activate Monster Reborn!" First he played a spell card to special summon the first Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) from his graveyard, in attack position. He could have revived a Xyz-Galaxy Eyes but that would not work with the plan he had in mind. "No way I am go to risk your angel reactivating Sargasso.."

"And maybe.." Shin tapped his Orbital 7 card. "I will take more! Orbital 7 can sacrifice itself to add a Galaxy or Photon-monster from the grave to my hand!" The orbital robot was dismantled, and left behind the second Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon card for Shin to pick up. "I summon Lillybot!" A more rounded garbage collecting robot(4/500/2000) was then normal summoned. It immediately started picking up Orbital 7's pieces. "Lillybot can resummon Orbital 7 from the graveyard!" The female droid re-assembled the male one and placed it back in face-up attack position. "Lillybot can also special summon a Galaxy monster from my hand, by tributing one or more machines on my field!" Lillybot only sacrificed herself, so that Shin could again summon the second Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500). It descended from his hand. "I will also tribute Orbital 7 again, to retrieve Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon." Orbital 7 did not stay in one piece for long. Again it was destroyed, and it placed a smaller dragon from the grave in Shins hand.

"But.." As Shin placed one card in the graveyard, he removed two more from it. "The Luminous Dragon Ritual spell can use its effect in the graveyard too. It banishes another dead level 4 monster to special summon Paladin of Photon Dragon from my hand!" A ritual was performed, the spirit of Photon Thrasher was banished so that the knight dragon rider(4/1900/800) could fly in on his blue dragon. "Paladin of Photon Dragon can tribute itself too, to summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from my deck!" The third and final Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) was brought out from Subito's old deck. "Three..against three." It joined its brethren to roar at Azars three Bue-Eyes White Dragons. They were equally matched. "Battle.." Shin glanced at his hand one more time. Within lied the power to end this duel for one of his opponents, but he had to choose. He could not let his emotions make this decision. "Necara, I am sorry too. I attack your Number!"

One Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon came after the Future King of Hope, the oddest out of all targets. "Galaxy-Eyes banished itself and its target until the end of the battle phase!" Shins dragon and Number F0 were sucked into another dimension, vanishing into thin air. Shin was about to follow up on this with a card from his hand. "..I can see where you are going, Shin." But Necara activated her trap card first. "Your brother, he did the same." It was the continuous trap card; Doppelganger. Any damage a monster card would inflict, would be returned to the one who caused it. "You.." She had predicted his plan perfectly, he had intended to activate Dimension Wanderer from his hand, which would inflict 3000 points of damage to her. Just like Subito had done when they dueled her before. "You use the past to prepare for the future.." As the defeat of just one player would not end the duel or remove Doppelganger, Shin would take 3000 points of damage as well. Azar would be the last duelist standing. "I will still do it! When Galaxy-Eyes banishes a monster, Dimension Wanderer can inflict damage!" Shin discarded the wanderer, who called forth the spirit of the photonic dragon. "What have you done?" Necara had nothing else to stop it, she had failed to scare Shin off and had to take the damage. "Gyah!"

Necara's LP: 0

"Shin, why? Now you.." Even Azar could not believe what he was seeing. Doppelganger reflected the Wanderers damage immediately. "You have the wrong idea! This is not me quitting!" Shin flipped his countertrap, Tachyon Transmigration. "Oh!" Doppelganger might have been a continuous trap, buts its damage effect started a chain. With Shin controlling a Galaxy-monster, Tachyon Transmigration could negate the effects of all opposing cards in that chain. The doubled damage became nonexistent. "You reversed time.." Necara recovered from the hit, but it was already too late. She was out of the game. "I..guess I did not want it enough." She realized now how futile it had been to try and convince them of her desire, when she was not convinced of it herself. Azar had been right, she did try to force herself into the position of catalyst, simply because she did not know what else she could do. "It wasn't that, Necara. I.. agreed more with you then with Azar. But you were just too strong. I feared you more." Shin had chosen to use Dimension Wanderer on her because of all the cards she still had in her hand. "But I conquered my fear. I will only look ahead now. For you as well, Necara."

"Azar. It's just you and me now.. Here I come!" One Galaxy-Eyes had struck, two more waited.

(To be Continued in Cipher 231: And Own the Present)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon

-  
Melody of Awakening Dragon  
Polymerization  
Defusion

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Condemned Maiden

-  
Enemy Controller

_-  
Spellbinding Illusion  
_Summon Limit

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Overlay Eater  
Full-Armored Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon  
Shining Angel  
Orbital 7  
Lillybot  
Paladin of Photon Dragon  
Dimension Wanderer

-  
Galaxy Cyclone  
Luminous Dragon Ritual

-  
High Five the Sky  
Tachyon Transmigration


	66. Cipher 231: And Own the Present

**(Cipher 65) 231: And Own the Present**

Shins LP: 1100 Necara's LP: 0 Azars LP: 2400

For Shin it felt like the future was becoming much clearer. One opponent had been dealt with, another remained. "I attack the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Shin had three Galaxy-Eyes Photon dragons(8/3000/2500); one banished for the rest of the battle phase and two still waiting to attack. Azar controlled his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons(8/3000/2500). They were the same offensively, but Shins dragons held more powers. "I activate Skill Drain!" Azar did not know what else Shin was up too, whether or not he had another Dimension Wanderer in his hand. So he did not want to let Shin get far. "I pay 1000 lifepoints and negate the effects of all monsters on the field!" His continuous trap would make sure the dragons could not banish each other during battle. However..

Azars LP: 1400

"Not what I was going for, Azar! I activate Photon Trident!" Shin activated a quickplay spell from his hand. Photon Trident powered up the dragon of Photon(3700/2500). "Blast!" The second Galaxy-Eyes destroyed the first Blue-Eyes. "When the boosted Photon monster inflicts damage, Photon Trident will destroy one extra spell or trap on the field!" The trident was thrown away by the dragon, right through Skill Drain. "But that does not mean I will leave you with two dragons!" Shin sent the third Photon Dragon in as well. It fired a beam at the White Dragon on the left. Naturally, Azars monster countered the attack as they had the same attackpoints. The two dragons killed each other in the crossfire. "I know you like to overlay your Blue-Eyes dragons into rank 8 Xyz-monsters, Azar. I am not gonna leave you with two of them!" At the end of this battle, Shins first Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3500/2500) returned from the other dimension along with Necara's King of Hope(0/0/0). Galaxy-Eyes had detached Number F0's last Xyz-material during their exile, and used it to add 500 attackpoints to itself. "I end my turn!"

Azars LP: 700

_"One dragon against two."_ The duel had gone on so long that both players were starting to get in a bind. They had nearly exhausted his decks. Yet Necara had no idea who would win. She had no idea who she wanted to win. It felt like, either way, the endresult would be negative. _"Kapha will be the one who truly wins.."_

"It is my turn!" No matter the circumstances, hAzar would not surrender. ".. I activate Dragons Mirror!" Now he had a spell that could fusion summon any fusion dragon with materials from the field or grave. "What are you going to do? Blue-Eyes Ultimate again? Or Fiveheaded Dragon?" Shin did not see what threat could arise from this. His Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons would just keep banishing whatever came their way, and he had the advantage in numbers. "No. Something older. By fusing two normal monsters, I can create the First of Dragons!" Azar banished one Blue-Eyes White Dragon and one Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord from the graveyard, to merge them together. "What the?" A great black dragon(9/2700/2000) emerged from the extra deck, horns and spikes protruded from all over its rocklike-scales and its jaw was carved from frozen steel. "The First of Dragons can not be destroyed in battle with effect monsters! It also cannot be affected by other monster effects!"

Azar then activated a spell card. "Shrink! Your dragon loses half of its attackpoints!" The more powerful Photon Dragon(1750/2500) was the one whose got downsized. "Why.. Why that one?" Necara did not know why Azar had not just used Shrink on Shins other Galaxy-Eyes. An attack from The First of Dragons would have depleted all of Shins lifepoints then. Shin had the answer. "Because I can still remove my dragon, even if I cannot remove his. But that will clear a path straight towards me." Even if Shin did banish Galaxy-Eyes for this battle phase, his other dragon could be killed by Blue-Eyes and then that would leave Shin defenseless against the First of Dragons. If Shrink had targeted the other dragon, Shin would not suffer any negative consequences if that one was banished. "You keep up really well, Shin." Azar was honestly impressed. Nevertheless.. "Attack!" A black jet of flames escaped the Firsts maws. The shrunken Galaxy-Eyes was consumed by the fire. "I will switch Blue-Eyes to defense mode. Then I end my turn."

Shins LP: 150

"Heh, and you can still surprise me, Azar." Shin was not mad at his setback. His face glowed more with each exchange of blows. "Though every time we duel, it seems like it can't just be for good old funs sake. And now..this may be the last time we get this chance." Hearing those words coming out of his own mouth made Shin realize all too much about their imminent future. He was not happy for it. "..I activate Galaxy Burst! I can negate the effect of your card this turn, but my Photon monsters lose half their attackpoints!" A flare of starry light hit the field, creating a paralyzing effect on the First of Dragons. At the same time Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(1500/2500) became numb.

_Galaxy Burst, Quickplay Spell  
__Target up to 2 face-up cards your opponent controls; until the end phase, the effects of those targets are negated and the ATKs of all "Photon" monsters you currently control are halved._

"Then I summon Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon, who I can tribute to special summon a Galaxy-Eyes monster from my graveyard!" An infant galactic dragon(1/300/250) dropped down and it disappeared into a nebula. "Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Photon Dragon!" A dragon(8/4000/3500) in black armor emerged from the other side of the space cloud. "Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon can also attach itself from my graveyard to one Galaxy-Eyes Xyz monster on the field." Shin of course changed the Cloud dragon into an Xyz-material for his full-armored dragon. "You remember the effect, right? I can destroy one monster on the field once a turn! Thanks to Galaxy Burst, your dragon can be affected by mine!" Cloud Dragon was detached right away, so that the Xyz-dragon could unleash its destructive powers on The progenitor of all Dragons.

"Trap card!" So in turn, Azar flipped Dragons Rebirth. "Huh?" The First of Dragons was thrown into a hellish fire and burned down to nothing. "Dragons Reborth banishes one dragon I control, to resurrect another.. Shin!" From the ashes of the fusion dragon came the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon(8/3000/2500), back in defense position. "Ooh, you got me there..." Shin shook his head. "But I can still do this, I attack!" In the battle phase, Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Dragon fired a series of energy blasts from its wings and it destroyed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that Shin had just special summoned. "I set a card and end my turn." During the endphase Shins normal Galaxy-Eyes dragon(3000/2500) regained all the attackpoints it used up for the Galaxy Burst. "It feels like we are both on our last legs now, doesn't it? One of us has to give eventually."

"You're correct." Azar drew a card. "But.. I still have some classics.. I activate Burst Stream of Destruction! When I control a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I can destroy all monsters on your field!" Azar made his white dragon turn its destructive beam into a wide-spread blast that threatened all of Shins monsters. "Ack! Wait, wait a second!" Shin countered with his trap card; Hyper Quick. "I reveal the top card of my deck. If it is a spell card, I can activate it!" At the speed of light, one card emerged from Shins deck. It was Photon Stream of Destruction, a spell card. "Awesome!" Shin pumped his fist. "Photon Stream of Destruction banishes your monster while I control Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Shins dragon fired off its own beam of destruction, an annihilation blast that erased all particles in its path. Both beams collided with each other and created a massive explosion. "Gah!" Azar and Shin were both tossed to the ground by the force, while all dragons on the field were wiped out. The Photonic ones died and the Blue-Eyes was banished.

It was an odd sight for sure to see thse two duelists slinging each other across the field. "Are you two still fighting for what you want? Or are you just trying to prove something?" Had it been a less serious situation, Necara might have thought this was that 'fun' that Shin always spoke highly of. "A bit of both, I guess." Shin groaned as he got back up. "Maybe I do want to know which one of us is stronger. Maybe in the end that is all that's important to me." He waited for Azar to get back up as well. He eventually did. "I admit it, I have had this yearning as well. You were the one who brought me into the world of dueling, and you were my first true friend. That it ends this way, is perfect for me." If this was to be the last duel he ever performed, he would have no regrets. "..You..really are human." Necara simply sighed. The fate of the world rested on them now.

"Yes. You understand. The duel is a human invention, to fight is a motion of this world. That is how it has been since the dawn of time. This is something the Numbers are only beginning to see." One more time Kapha joined in on the conversation. "That is why they need a human mind to guide them, a catalyst. They will simply wallow in unchanging perfection otherwise. While we waste time on fights that do no matter. This right here is all that matters."

"...The Numbers." Azar listened to him, but this time his words had a different effect on him. "They were.. Kapha!" He turned to the darkness. "I see what you have done, I have seen all of it. You have created much for this world, but you have taken away so much as well. Whether it is you or Pandora, the people will not be truly free if this continues." Azar had realized something, and Kapha did not seem to notice what it was yet. "What is freedoms worth? The good that freedom gives life to is outdone by the bad. The one with the most wisdom and intelligence should be the most free. What I can invent outweighs what they can!" He was starting to get mad. Perhaps he had noticed. "But where does your wisdom come from, Kapha? You say you are like me, so I can become like you. You have years of experience on me, but that alone would not do it. I remember now.. you told us yourself. You know everything because the Numbers know everything. It is them that we need, not you!"

"You do not know what you are talking about. You can not do this without me." The voice protested. "You keep saying that, but I do not believe you anymore! I will not be tempted!" He moved on with his turn. Azar had two cards left, but neither could take advantage of Shins empty field. "I set a trap card and normal summon the Maiden with Eyes of Blue." He called the one monster he had, the pale woman(1/0/0) with long silver hair. "Her again eh? If I attack that card, you can negate the attack and summon a Blue-Eyes from your graveyard." Shin remembered the effect of the Maiden. She would provide Azar with a good defense, but only once a turn. "It really depends on luck now." All Shin could do was risk everything on his draws. "My turn!" Azar had passed over the turn after he summoned his maiden. Shin pulled a card from his deck and looked at it. "Argh..I mean. Good. ... I set a trap card and end my turn!"

"Luck.. has never been my favorite word." Azar liked to make his own fate, and with the power of the Numbers he used to be able to. He activated Common Charity. He banished a normal monster, Labradorite Dragon, from his hand. Then Common Charity drew two new cards. "But maybe, everyone needs a little of it from time to time." When he saw the cards he had drawn, Azar changed his tune. "I activate Monster Reborn!" He of course had his own dead revival spell, just like Necara and Shin. Anything could be special summoned from the graveyard to defeat Shin now. "Oh! I guess we do!" But the lucky one wasn't Azar. "I activate the countertrap, Retort!" Shin revealed his set trap, which took Monster Reborn right out of Azars hands. "What?" Then Retort returned Shins own Monster Reborn from the grave t his hand "Retort negates a card which has the same name as one card in my graveyard! Then that card in my graveyard comes back to me! I knew you would use your own Monster Reborn eventually, Azar!"

"Ah." Azar placed a new trap card down. His turn was over already. "You saw more of the future than me." Could this have been a fortunate coincidence for Shin? Azar did not feel like it was. It was if all fates were conspiring against him. "Maybe I did. Maybe that is why I have been dreading what you are saying. I did not believe a future with Numbers can brings us happiness. But dueling with you and Necara, made me see something else. The Numbers did at least..bring us all together. We had a common cause." Now it was Shins turn again and he could activate Monster Reborn. "Maybe the Numbers are not the enemy. We are our own enemy. Number 62 tried to help me... One final time, I will honor it.. I summon Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" The spell special summoned his Numbered Dragon(8/4000/3000). It was the strongest dragon that could be summoned since Neo-Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon had never been properly Xyz-summoned and Neo-Tachyon had been thrown back in the extra deck. Though not even a Number could not bypass the Maidens effect. Not unless Shin summoned a second monster, and he had not drawn any.

"They did cause some good." Necara said to herself and to Shin. "They want to, some at least." She looked at her own Future King of Hope that was left behind on the field It was the first Number to resist Pandora, it had shown that the Numbers had far more potential left unused. "Everyone has always been wanting to use them, for their own gain. Nobody ever asked what they wanted. Not even you, Kapha." She called the darkness out. The darkness did not give a response.

"..I never thought of it that way." Shin sighed, as he placed a trap card down. "They need guidance, and they also deserve their own freedom, Desire is a new thing to them, they cannot be blamed for harming people when they do not fully comprehend our limits. However, the catalyst would need guidance too." Azar also played his trap card before Shin could end his turn."Skill Prisoner! I target the Maiden!" Skill Prisoner would negate any effects that targeted the Maiden this turn. That was not the thing Azar was after though, he only wanted to trigger the Maidens effect. "Now that she has been targeted, she can special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard!" The lady of blue-eyes gave new life to the mighty white dragon. "Shin, I would not be unguided myself. I realize now, that this will not be the end of our friendship. If you win, I will help you do what you must. If I win.. I will make sure your pleas are heard!"

"...I know" Shin ended his turn. "I also know that you can banish Skill Prisoner from your graveyard to activate it from there." The Skill trap could target the Maiden a second time in a new turn. "But you do not have any Blue-Eyes dragons anymore!" The other two had all been banished by various effects. "No road is closed forever." Azar summoned the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit(4/1700/900). "I let Skill Prisoner target Nuit!" The trap activated from the grave to affect Nuit instead, allowing the golden dragon to special summon a normal dragon monster from the deck, with its attack and defense points reduced. "I summon Rabidragon!" The rabbit/dragon hybrid(8/0/0/) was called out to the field. "!" Now Azar controlled two level 8 monsters, both of them normal-type. "I overlay Blue-Eyes with Rabidragon!" Two normal dragons could combine to form the same ruler of all thunder: Thunder End Dragon(8/3000/2000). "Azar.." This was just like the last time. "You know what I am going to do now, Shin. My Xyz-monster can destroy all other monsters on the field." Azar detached one material from his dragon. "Can you stop this?" He asked his friend as the thunder was unleashed.

_"Tachyon Chaos Hole.. I could.. should I?_" Shin dramatically passed his hand over.. and beyond his set trap card. "Nah..I got nothing." He did not chain, the monsters were destroyed without any difficulty. Prime Photon Dragon died along with the Blue-Eyed Maiden and the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit. "Then..this is the end." Necara saw no other possible outcome. A winner had been decided. "It is. Shin, Necara.. you dueled well. Any fate could have fallen upon the three of us, but this is how it shall be." Azar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For all he knew it would be his last. "I..attack." Thunder End Dragon unleashed a blast of electricity and struck down the opponent. Shin was done.. it would all fall on Azar now. "Thank you Shin."

"You have won." Kapha returned. The First returned. "Accept your future, accept us and our world. Let your glorious Shining power overlay with our Numeron code. It would always have been you." The card of Number 1 floated down from above, waiting on the floor.

"I will." Azar gave a to look to Necara and Shin, before he picked the card up. "But I..also made a promise, Kapha!" Azar suddenly lunged out and grabbed something in the darkness; someone that had been unseen up until now. "What?" Kapha was pulled out of the shadows, Azars hand was on his shoulder. "I told you, i do not need you. You lied, you never intended to bring anyone back to life. But I will.." A thousand beams of light shot out from the card and from Azar. "What are you doing?" Kapha shouted. "Becoming One!" The light revealed everything around, destroying the dark. It was like the real world took over again. But for Azar this was no reality, Azar would disappear into a whole new realm.. of power and hopes..

(To be Concluded)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**First of the Dragons

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon

-  
Photon Trident  
Galaxy Burst  
Photon Stream of Destruction

-  
Retort  
Tachyon Chaos Hole


	67. Cipher 232: Good Night

**(Cipher 66) 232: Good Night**

"I am.." Shin opened his eyes. "...oh." He felt heavier and more solid now. So he was back in the underground, where he and the others had last been physically. "Welcome." Darcy was there to greet him and... "Necara? You..of course. How are you?" The girl in grey woke up after him. "Fine." She breathed in deeply. She just felt tired. However nobody woke up after her.. "Huh? Where is Azar!? What.." There was no body at all anymore. "He left, Shin. As soon as the duel ended, his body disappeared in a flash of light. He must have become the catalyst." Darcy explained. "Then you..know already. You know who the winner was." Necara noted Darcy's lack of bewilderment. "I do. I could follow the turns of your duel on the screen." Darcy pointed at Kapha's life pod. The main screen on the front panel displayed the flow of the duel in text-format. It highlighted every move from an outside perspective.. "A testament had to be made, in front of every Number. Though the outcome surprised me.. I did not think Azar would win."

"..Why do you say that?" Necara did not see how the winner of the duel had been anything but obvious. "..." Shin did not say a word when Necara looked at him. "What did you.." So she turned to the screen instead. "You didn't." Every card was displayed, even the ones that had not been activated yet. Necara stared at Shin with wide eyes. "You.. could have won." Shin had Tachyon Chaos Hole set, and he did not activate it. "You could have banished his Thunder End Dragon, and revived your Galaxy Xyz-dragon, all with that one trap. But you didn't.. why?"

"Because..I guess.. I did not want it after all. I did not want to leave." Shin said to her without batting an eye. He had never been more certain about something than he was now. "You..you're.. You gave it all away? What about your desire? What about the Numbers!?" Necara did not see the reason, at first. She did not see..how strong that bond was. "Because of friends.." Necara was only beginning to experience that force in her heart. "Yes, because of them. Because of my family too, and because of you. I am not the right man for all of this, Azar was.. Azar is. He convinced me, that I was wrong. So there was nothing left for me in that future."

"What nonsense."

Azar was not with the, but someone else now was. "What?" The voice was came from inside the pod room. From the only other person still in there. "Kapha?" Darcy gasped. The man who had been on life support was now out of the chamber. That was not supposed to happen, his life had always been deeply tied in with those of the Numbers. "Yes it is I." Yet here was the man, he had opened the door of his pod and stumbled out as if he could not control his body. He had not had to move physically in months, so that did not help. Any trace of Lucifers power was gone from him, his skin and hair had gone back to their normal shades. "You're here.. then Azar is.. He really kicked you out, didn't he?" Kapha had been healed and brought back down to his mortal self. Shin knew he could've trusted Azar. "That fool.. Does he.. or do any of you have any idea what was taken, what it is like to be this insignificant after all I.. hrkh!"

Before Kapha could get any more words in, he was pressed against the wall by Necara. "Stop..talking." Kapha could not break free from her. In his current state he was not exactly a match for a person of any size. "Heh. What are you going to do, N? You tried to take my life before? Do you still want to fulfill that wish?" Despite all of that this, his voice did not crack. He was speaking like someone who had lost everything already, so what would death be to him. "No. I am not." But Necara unceremoniously let Kapha fall to the floor. "You are not worth it." She turned her back on him. "Not worth it? Who do you think you are talking to? I created you, N." Kapha coughed. "You are not the one who gave me life, or hope, or anything. Someone who grants nothing, deserves nothing. Someone else can punish him." There were laws, there were prisons, Kapha deserved that fate more than a release from life. That was too good for him. Still Kapha laughed. "Nothing you do will matter now! This universe is condemned! It.."

"Look!" Shin shouted and pointed at the room behind them. "Why are you.." Whatever was taking place there, even Kapha could not ignore it. "What!?" The containers for the first Nine Numbers started to glow, the cards themselves were de-materializing. "They are leaving?" Dyson Sphere, Genom Heritage, Lucky Straight, Chronomaly Atlandis, Death Chimera Dragon, Charybdis, Pestilence Queen, and Infection King Baalzeboul; all of them shot through the ceiling and towards the surface. "Is.. is Azar doing this?" There could be no other cause. "..." Darcy reached for her D-pad. "Agent. Tell me, what is happening upstairs? What can you see in the sky?" As it would take them too long to reach ground level from here, she had to ask the enforcers upstairs for information. "Urhm.. you should probably see it for yourself, miss." The man who responded was not quite sure how to relay that info, so he just pointed the screen on his end at the nearest window so that everyone could bear witness to what was taking place. "Oh my.."

There were a million lights hovering in the air. They all danced towards the dimensional rift. "Can you spot anyone? Can you see Azar?" Shin could not tell if there was someone else up there, not from this distance. But neither could anyone else. "I have no idea _what_ is going on." The agent shouted as more and more light reached the clouds. They were like stars, and each one covered up a section of the portal. "Look!" Slowly, but surely, it was closing. The damage to both dimensions became undone, the world returned to normal. It was a sight like nothing else. Kapha himself was rendered speechless by this inexpicable event. "How could he.. surpass me?" Azar had accomplished this, without his help? "But.." Soon the light was gone, it was all gone. "But..Where is he.. where are the Numbers?" Shin had hoped for more, for anything. But there had been no sign of his friend. "He is where he needs to be. I am sure..you will see him again." Necara said it, and believed it.

...

"Rita?" It was some time later, that Rita Huxley emerged from her 'coma'. "Wh..wha?" Rita was surrounded by several people. "We thought we lost you." It was a familiar voice, of a former colleague. "Sandra?" Agent A was here, so was Agent. "Why are you guys.. where am I?" Rita took a while to notice that this was not solid ground that she was lying down on. _"Deja Vu.." _ It was a soft and comfortable bed. This room was part of agency HQ. "We brought you here, we figured this was the best place." Joe explained. "That lady with the purple hair told all of us agents to come here. And I was enjoying my retirement too. Not that I can blame her after everything that happened." The world had been quite hectic, it appeared. "Everyone is here?! What happened?" Rita had slept through all of that. Yet if the whole agency was being gathered, it had to be serious. "Well not _all_ of us came. Dracono refused and Morbis could not be reached." Sandra admitted. "At least the danger is over now, we do think." She scratched her head. "Long story.. Confusing too. Our old quartermaster messed with our memories, and now I remember more things than I should or shouldn't. Thunder, gods, machines.. It's all really confusing."

"What about you, Rita?" Joe changed the subject. "We heard about everything. We heard what you and your new friends did. After Pandora was topped, you were out the longest. Korose and the others got back up half a day ago." They had brought her here, but this time no medical cause for her 'coma' could be detected. It was not like the last time, her mind had gone to a great unknown. "So we won..I am glad for that." Parts of reality sunk back in, Rita's expression shifted from curiosity to regret. "I think.. I was trying to find Claud. I felt something in my dreams, but I am not sure what it was. Maybe that was him. Whatever I dreamed, it made me feel good.. and happy. Like he sent a message to me, telling me that he is alright where he is." She sighed. She did not understand life, she'd barely lived like a normal person so far. But she knew one thing. "He wants me to... I am not gonna be some weakling who can't move on from this! I will live for him and me! I will start a new show by myself if I have to!" That was the only way to honor his sacrifice.

In the same building, a few floors below, other work was done. "You cannot do this. Who will run the agency if not me? The directors? They will never work together." Kapha had been kept in an isolated room until the authorities could take him and put him on trial for all his various crimes. "I believe there wont be an agency after this anymore, Kapha." Korose and several enforcers were keeping him guarded until then. "Then what will you do, Korose? You were made by this organization" Kapha hated every minute of it. He hated being so powerless when he was one the man at the top of the world. "I will live outside of it and find my place in this new world. I can see that there is plenty of injustice that still needs to be dealt with, you and the other directors will all be brought before the law." Korose was even willing to atone for his own part of it all, if he was asked to. Though he was assured it would not go that far. "The Law? Hah, what proof do you have against me?" Kapha scoffed.

"An endless supply of gigabytes, in fact." Darcy took that as her cue to show up. "You've come to gloat, Ms. Lawless?" He did not have to take this from her. This girl would not even have been in this position had Pandora not chosen her to be their messenger. "No. I have to come to show you something." She took a D-pad from another guard. "Thanks to the help of agent Philip and others, we were able to reconstruct a program that will help us secure all data you saved up." Darcy activated the D-pad. "How may I be of assistance." It started speaking in a flat drone. It was a voice that only Kapha recognized. It was Eve, Esthers original model before it gained a holographic body. "You rebuilt Esther... Of all the creations to do me in." Kapha knew he had truly lost all ground to stand on now. "Ingrates. I did this all for you." He sighed and slumped down. "We will let the world decide that, Kapha." Korose stated before he closed the door on him.

"Esther? That name is unknown to me, Miss Lawless." The A.I. seemed to have issues with some of the info it was recording. "I suppose it would be. But believe it or not, that was your name once." Darcy told It. "That can not be possible. That is not in my memory." It replied. "Maybe that's a good thing. Though, one day, you can be more than you are now.. on your own. I would like that, then we could be friends. Wouldn't you like that?"

"Like.. Friends.. I do not understand. But if that is your request, I will try to.. understand."

...

"So whats happening now?" Was the question on everyone's mind in the hours after the rift miraculously disappeared from the skies. "How did you get this number?" Was also Ruby's own question as she heard Trey's over the phone. "Darcy gave it to me. So what do you know? Should I be panicking? Should I be saving or go on a spending frenzy while I can?" Trey Lionetti was understandably part of the confused masses and called Ruby on her D-pad while she still rested at Serins place. "I don't know. Everything seems like its back to normal. That is fine by me." Ruby had stopped wanting her Number even before she lost it anyway. "Azar took care of it all. But we don't know where is right now, or what he did to the Numbers." Azar had not said anything to Shin and Necara, so that was about as much as Ruby could tell Trey. "Hmm. Well if I were a gambling man, and I am, then I would guess he left some clues behind somewhere. He does not seem like the kind of guy who leaves everything behind without a single note."

"You mean, like a puzzle?" Xander interjected. "Could it be?" He started fiddling with the D-pad again. "Xander? What are you..doing?" It did not take him long at all to show Ruby something that he had found. "I was right!" On the D-pad screen, in duel-mode, a new window had popped up. "Huh? Hang on Trey." Ruby switched modes "Mine too?" She had received the same message. It was just one word: Testing. "Well I do not know about you, but I can only see Azar being the one responsible for this." It was easy to figure out how, when someone had the power of a hundred Numbers. "But why would we do this..what are we waiting for? What is he testing?"

...

As it turned out, the test message was spread across the world. And the world soon figured out why. Here and there Numbers returned to the world, they returned to power cities and resume their function in several locations like hospitals, coming from small portals that closed up right away. They came in lesser quantity, in fewer people. They were not handed to leaders alone, but to people who needed them the most. Each time a person came in contact with a Number, they heard a voice._ His_ voice. The Numbers had been guided to them so that they could work together and help those who needed the voice told them that if they would ever try to take advantage of the Number, or vice versa; the bond would be undone and a new Number and partner would be assigned. This was how mankind was shown to interact with what they once feared. The choice was theirs to accept, the freedom was still theirs. The right people would get the power to do the right thing. The wrong people would inevitably find it more difficult to do what they wanted. This was a trial period and a sign of things that could come.

"Do you think it will last?" Ariel and Dakar had noticed the effects of this 'coexistence'. Peace seemed to return to the world. "There are probably many of us who want to use the Numbers for something terrible." Dakar was not completely optimistic. Though he knew Azar would be a far better shepherd than any of the previous catalysts. This just seemed so unreal. "It can last. That is the key." Ariel felt differently. She finally felt like she could trust again. "There is good in anyone, and maybe the Numbers can bring that out instead. I am sure that this is what everyone wants in some way." Ariel looked at the wall, at a picture that they all had recently taken of everyone and their friends together. They might have been brainwashed when that picture was taken, but she kept it anyway. "I know what you want. Let's go see them right now. I bet Sky is waiting still." Dakar chuckled. "Oh you.." Ariel smiled. Things were looking up.

...

"What will happen to us now." Once all was said and done, all people had left were questions. After had had apologized to Natasha for running away, he only had one place left to go. Necara was with hi, they waited outside of the gates of his own home. "Some will stay, some will go back. It is as simple as that." Necara looked at her own Future Number, it was not abandoning her and she felt okay with it. "More like these will be made, more like Azars Shining Numbers. They are the balance." Their world was not the only one that had changed. Azar had gotten to the Numbers dimension as well, he had shown Terminus and the collective consciousness that individuality was no longer a threat. If they were to find a way to communicate with the Numbers, only good things would come from it. "He knows what he is doing now."

"How about you? Do you know what you are gonna do?" Shin asked her another question. He was not fully ready yet, to go back to his family. She was aware of this, but indulged him anyway. "I don't know. I tried calling.. her. The woman who took care of me before. that did not end well." Necara sighed and looked away. "She did not yell at you or anything, did she?" Shin remembered that whole story. He'd imagine someone would look weird at a child they suddenly did not have. "No. Not that. She sort-of knew what happened to her, and knew why I lived with her. But that love is not there anymore. It never was." As soon as Pandora had disappeared, Mrs. Kincaid became who she used to be. Necara did not want to return there for her sake as well.

"Then..why not live with us?" Shin proposed out of nowhere. "Wh-what!?" She stared at him in disbelief. "What? Is that so unusual? I mean I don't think you got any other place anymore, so it only seems like the nice thing to offer." Shin shrugged. "But I.. I did all those things to you before. You trust me now?" Even after everything they had gone through, she did not think she deserved this kindness. "Of course!"

"We quite agree." The two heard a mans voice as the gates swung open. "!" A man and woman stood on the front porch. "You.." They had come to meet their son and Necara. "Mom.. dad.. I.." He could not say anything. After all this time he could not bring himself to talk about what they all had lost. Who they all had lost. "Oh, Shin.." But they did not want to talk. Both his mother and father rushed to him and held him in a warm and comforting embrace. "Mom..Dad.." Shin stammered, and began to cry. "It;s alright son. We know. We know what you went through. It is all over now." His father let go, while his mother kept hugging. "Subito is still with us. We can still feel him around. You can feel him too, can't you?" For them, their oldest son was not really gone. "Yeah.." It was a feeling Shin shared. He was sure he would see Subito again one day. "We are going to get through this together. We are strong.." His mother assured him, before she turned her eyes on Necara. And you are a part of that."

"Me?" Necara was again surprised at the amount of generosity that was sent her way. "Yes. We heard what Shin said to you, and we heard what you have done for him and the rest of the world. In our eyes, you are a part of our family. I am sure that is what Kincaid would want as well." Grant did not know the man very well, but he knew enough. "I..I thank you." Necara felt like a lump was stuck in her throat. Though she did not feel sad. "Heh. You're alright Necara. We are alright." Shin wiped his face and grabbed her to drag her into the hug circle. "..." Necara stayed quiet. It felt nice. "Azar, Subito, Ion... everyone. We will make sure to look after the world and to live happily and freely." Shin looked to the sky and shouted at it with a raised fist. "This is my.. our promise to you!"


	68. Cipher ()

**Cipher (): Epilogue**

It was getting late, time to shut down all the lights and the mansion and retreat upstairs to the living room. She was alone again, as usual. Mother and father were working out of house, as usual. Though in this case their absence could be excused. the world was in a strange state now. People had become aware of new beings and new dimensions, they were only starting to see what was possible. _She _did not really know how to feel about it, because the matter hit closer to home than most others. The one who had accomplished all of this was someone she knew. This assumption was not provable, but to her it was certain. Yet she did not think she would ever see _him_ again. From everything that was told to Camilla, that seemed inevitable.

"Ah!"

Instead, she saw him again that very night. "Azar?" He sat there in his own room, behind his own desk. She had walked by his place out of habit. "Camilla.." That empty chair now had her brother, and he spoke to her. "Is this..really happening?" Camilla was not sure if she could trust her eyes or ears. "It is, Camilla. I am here." If this was a delusion, it was near perfect. "You.." And there were so many questions she wanted to ask him. How he got here was not even the most important one, given all the power he seemed to have now. But it had been months since his last appearance. They had all given up on him. "Where.. have you been?"

"I.. am sorry. I let time get away from me. I had so much to do.. so many people to visit. The Numbers had to reach the right spirits. Only now, do I have some freedom." Azar did not sound remorseful, but there were hints of regret in his voice. Maybe he wanted this to have gone differently, but he couldn't. "Then why.. why come here?" It sounded as if this was the first place Azar had gone to. "Your friends. You have so many now, they kept calling me.. Asking me if I had heard from you. Why didn't you see them?" Azar had always preferred their company over what this place had to offer. She did not understand his choices. "Because you are family, and I know you miss me too. I missed you as well. I could have watched, I could have seen more.. but I did not want to pry." Azar sighed and looked at his desk. "I do not know if I can see them soon. So please.. tell me what I have missed."

"Oh..Azar. Of course." Camilla finally breathed out and relaxed, sitting down on his bed. She told him everything that she had been told. How Korose, Xander and even Dakar had found made new careers, while Ariel had begun working on her studies.. with the help of Sky. The Serin household had let their children do what they wanted outside of their business. Rita had started a new show on TV, in dedication of duelists everywhere. Ruby had become a league champion and actually returned to finish school. Darcy meanwhile was training to become a doctor. They were all still good friends. And then there were Shin and Necara. They lived together now, with his parents. They were doing as well as they could, so she said. "...They did not say anything about Subito, did they.." Azar expected not to hear much on that. "But maybe I can pass them a message." Azar stated cryptically.. before moving on to a new subject. "Camilla. Who I really was asking about.. was you. How are you?"

"Me?" Camilla was lost for words. "I.." She had not even considered herself, these last few hundred days had just been her going through the motions. "I don't know. Mother swears that you are fine and that she knows why you are gone. Father does not say much about you, but he must be proud of you. I can tell.. they wish things had been different. You rarely see them, they are not around now either." She tried to deflect the attention on her, but Azar saw right through that. "I will get to them in time. I have plenty of it. Camilla, just tell me.."

"I suppose.. I could be better. It feels strange." She admitted at last. "Seeing you now, makes me happy. Hearing that you have to go soon.. does not." That truth what he wanted to hear, she guessed. "You don't have to explain it. It is an unfair situation. I am free and yet I am not. I understand you more now than ever, but we cannot be together anymore. Maybe..one day.. my task will be done. Then I can stay.. here... home. But until then, I am needed elsewhere." Azar got up he getting ready to leave? "No. But you..you can't! Nobody can maintain this! You are going to..Can't others help you?" She did not want him to go, not this soon! "I thought so, at first. But I rarely find the time to just talk to someone."

"But you do not have the be alone! Your friends told me about the catalysts, about what they did and what you have to do now! They had more than one, you can be that way too! You could have people who take over while you.. There has to be a better way, an Artega should not settle for the first choice!"

"Camilla.." Azar was surprised at her outburst.. and at her clarity. "Of course. Thank you!" He said with utmost sincerity. "Azar?" She was not sure what she was thanked for. "I see my future now. Camilla, you are right. I should not have forced this upon myself, I should not act as the only hero. I can ask them, give them the choice. I can do it right now!" Azar laughed. "Come. Let's go." He grabbed her hand. "W-wait. Where are we going?" She cried out, but did not resist. "To what dreams are made off! Don't you want to see what I can see?" He smiled at her. "I..yes.. yes I do!" She laughed as well. "Then here we go!" Azar filled the room with light and he vanished alongside his sister. A world of infinite possibilities awaited them and their friends..

The Dimensions were at peace at last, and so were they..


End file.
